28 Cradle of Forestry

THE FOUNDATION OF AN OLD HOMESTEAD ON THE FOREST FESTIVAL TRAIL

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GPS TRAILHEAD COORDINATES: N35° 21.050' W82° 46.740'

DISTANCE & CONFIGURATION: 2.2-mile figure-eight

HIKING TIME: 1.5 hours

HIGHLIGHTS: The first forestry school in North America

ELEVATION: 3,292 feet at the trailhead to 3,262 feet at the tunnel underneath US 276

ACCESS: The Cradle of Forestry historic site is open during daylight hours, from mid-April to mid-November. Fees are $5 per adult and free for children under the age of 16.

MAPS: USGS Shining Rock

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes, at the visitor center and on the hiking trails

FACILITIES: Visitor center, museum, gift shop, and restrooms

COMMENTS: The Cradle of Forestry is a great place to take groups of children. Call the main switchboard for group rates, educational programming, and scheduling.

CONTACTS: Cradle of Forestry (828) 877-3130 and cradleofforestry.com; Pisgah National Forest (828) 257-4200 and fs.us.gov/nfsnc

Overview

The Cradle of Forestry is home to the first forestry school in North America and offers two interpretive trails. This hike combines both paths into a 2.2-mile figure eight. The first path, The Forest Festival Trail, teaches hikers about the plants and animals that define the surrounding habitat. The adjoining path, the Biltmore Forest Trail, takes you through the restored and reconstructed buildings that comprised the first forestry school in North America.

Route Details

Pink Beds Valley and the Cradle of Forestry is a region rich in history, biodiversity, and recreational opportunities. Inhabited since the early 1800s, the lush and level tract of land, below the slopes of Mount Pisgah, was first a rural farming community. In 1889 George W. Vanderbilt bought the property to be a part of his Biltmore Estate and appointed Gifford Pinchot to manage the land. Pinchot later left to become the first chief of the United States Forest Service.

The German forester Dr. Carl Schenck succeeded Pinchot at the Biltmore Estate. Schenck used a portion of the Pink Beds Valley to form the first forestry school in the United States, the Cradle of Forestry. Schenck worked diligently to restore the surrounding forests to health after years of careless logging and farming. Upon George W. Vanderbilt’s death in 1914, his wife, Edith, sold 87,000 acres of forestland, including Pink Beds Valley and the Cradle of Forestry, to the United States Forest Service.

In 1968 the Cradle of Forestry was designated as a National Historic Site, and today the facility delights visitors young and old with a state-of-the-art visitor center and two wheelchair-accessible interpretive trails. The hike on this significant plot of land starts behind the visitor center and first heads east to explore the Forest Festival Trail.

Before reaching the start of the Forest Festival Trail, you will pass a unique tree on your left. Stuart Roosa, a revered American astronaut, has a special connection to this tree. Roosa traveled with the seed for this 35-year-old sycamore tree on a journey into outer space. In fact, Roosa, a former smoke jumper for the forest service, took 500 seeds with him on an expedition that orbited the moon. Then, upon his return to earth, he presented the seeds as a gift to the U.S. Forest Service.

Continuing past the “out of this world” sycamore tree, you will arrive at the start of the Forest Festival Trail. Veer right (south) to hike the trail counterclockwise.

During the age of the Biltmore Forestry School, Dr. Carl Schenck would hold an annual Forest Festival and invite leading individuals in the lumber industry, politicians, and media sources. The celebration at the forestry school allowed Schenck to relay advances in discoveries in the world of forestry.

The informative Forest Festival Trail will lead you on a self-guided tour of some of the innovations and experiments at the Cradle of Forestry. From a seedling garden to a saw mill, and from the rock foundations of a homestead to the remnants of a fish hatchery, the path and informational placards guide you on a tour of an outdoor museum that informs you about different types of trees, animals, and forestry practices. For many, the highlight of the Forest Festival Trail is the Climax train engine and steam log loader, located on a reconstructed narrow gauge rail. The train and log loader were important tools used to deliver the lumber from the forest to the towns, mills, and markets in the valley.

At the conclusion of the Forest Festival loop, return on the paved path to the back side of the visitor center and then continue hiking east to explore the neighboring Biltmore Forest Trail. Just as the Forest Festival Trail gives insight into the practices of early forestry, the Biltmore Forest Trail provides a glimpse of what life was like for the foresters who cared for these natural resources.

The Biltmore Forest Trail’s first stop is at the restored schoolhouse, where forestry students would spend the morning learning from textbooks before venturing out in the afternoon for hands-on experience. After leaving the one-room schoolhouse, the path travels through a tunnel under US 276 and arrives at the living quarters and commissary. The primitive conditions will make you appreciate how hardy the year-round forestry students and members of this mountain community must have been, especially in winter.

As you continue on the path, you will reach additional living quarters, a toolshed, garden, and Dr. Schenck’s office. It is always humbling for locals to think that not only was the practice of American forestry first cultivated at the Biltmore school, but two of the biggest names in this field, Pinchot and Schenck, both spent significant time in these mountains and woods right outside of Asheville.

After retracing your steps to the back side of the visitor center, the hike and your outside museum visit will conclude; but before you leave, be sure to go in and tour the interactive exhibits and watch the informational video that plays throughout the day. It is likely that upon leaving the historic site you will feel differently about the trees and forest that surround the entrance than when you first arrived.

Directions

From Asheville, take the Blue Ridge Parkway south and travel approximately 18 miles to mile marker 411. Look for US 276 and signs for the Cradle of Forestry. Turn south on US 276 and drive 4 miles. The Cradle of Forestry will be just past Pink Beds on your left.

From Hendersonville or Brevard, take US 276 north 11 miles, past Looking Glass Falls and Sliding Rock. The Cradle of Forestry entrance will be on your right. If you reach the Pink Beds parking area, you have gone too far.