Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) Part 2

This portion of the MST is from Hwy 25 Hendersonville Road to Hwy 74A and is one of the most popular sections of the trail in Asheville.  This section of trail is also flatter compared to other sections of the MST.  But as we quickly discovered after moving to the mountains of western North Carolina, just because it's flatter, doesn't mean it's flat!  It's a great section of trail, 9.6 miles out and back.

A Little Bit of History

The State of North Carolina Trails System Act of 1973 authorized the formation of the North Carolina Trails Committee.  A seven member citizen advisory board appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Community Development (DNRCD).  This Comittee started functioning in 1974.  During the Fourth National Trails Symposium held at Lake Junalaska in September 1977, DNRCD Secretary Howard N. Lee stated in a speech "I think the time has come for us to consider the feasibility of establishing a state trail between the mountains and seashore in North Carolina" and asked the Trails Committee to plan a trail that would "utilize the NPS, USFS, state parks, city and county properties and private landowners willing to give an easement over a small portion of their land on a legacy to future generations."

A Memorandum of Agreement among the three public agencies was signed on November 27, 1979, renewable every five years.  This agreement stated that... "it is the desire of the State, the Forest Service and the Park Services to cooperate fully with each other in matters relating to development, operation, administration and maintenance of the (Mountains to Sea) Trail."   ...The Carolina Mountain Club