Spencer Branch Trail
At A Glance
2.3 mi one-way
Difficulty Rating: 2.3 
Steepness: Climbs Moderately
Tread Condition: Moderately Rough
Blaze Color: Yellow
Trail Number: 140
Rides That Use This Trail: Fletcher Creek
Description
The upper end of this trail, above FS 5097 (Neverending Road), was recently rerouted onto a much more reasonably graded trail. It is now more of a flowing trail, albeit with some deliberately placed rock gardens and a few other features to spice up the ride. It's a moderate climb, but it is no longer very technical.
Before the re-route, the old trail was extremely steep, eroded, rocky, and technical as it dropped nearly straight down from the spine of Trace Ridge to the creek. This section is now closed.
Below the road down to the intersection with the Fletcher Creek trail, the trail is more subdued, with moderate climbs or great downhills, some rocky and/or rooty sections and creek crossings.
At the junction with Fletcher Creek, the trail crosses the stream. There used to be a log bridge farther downstream near the junction with Middle Fork, but that washed away in 2004 and was never replaced. You may be able to cross on stepping stones, but only when the water is fairly low. Most people just ride on through, but you're probably going to get your shoes wet.
Downstream from the Middle Fork trail junction, Spencer Branches crosses Middle Fork. That bridge is also out, making for another tricky crossing. Beyond the Middle Fork crossing, the trail enters a narrow gorge as it follows the creek downstream
The trail receives a lot less usage on this stretch. Although not steep, the precipitous trail clings to the steep sides of the cove in places, only a foot (or less) wide with nearly vertical slopes on either side. It threads through corridors of mountain laurel and rhododendrons in some stretches and follows an old logging railroad grade in others. There are some nice sliding cascades on the stream.
There is one more creek crossing which should be easy to rock-hop (unless the water is high) before the junction with the Big Creek trail at the Hendersonville Reservoir. Keep left to finish the Spencer Branch trail on Hendersonville Reservoir Road just below the dam.
Directions
Spencer Branch trail connects to Trace Ridge trail at its upper end, and the old Hendersonville Reservoir Road at its lower end, about 1.4 mi from the Trace Ridge trailhead parking.
Intersecting Trails
This trail is located in the Mills River area. For a list of all the trails in that area, see the Mills River trails list page.
GPS Map
Map Information
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About the Map
Copyright
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Trail and Marker Overlays
Trail layers and downloadable data are all original works created by WNCOutdoors with guidance from a variety of sources, including ensembles of our own GPS tracks, user contributed GPS tracks, official maps and GIS data from government agencies, and field observations. WNCOutdoors data is made freely available under the Open Database License - you are free to copy and use it for any purpose under the terms of that license (summary).
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Trail Segments
Trails are often made up of several connecting paths which may have different characteristics, allowed uses, and seasons. This trail is divided into multiple segments as follows:
Spencer Branch - Spencer Gap to Neverending Rd.
- Allowed Uses: Hiking, Mountain Biking, Horseback Riding
- Length: 1.16 mi
Spencer Branch - Neverending Road to Fletcher Ck. Tr.
- Allowed Uses: Hiking, Mountain Biking, Horseback Riding
- Length: 0.88 mi
Spencer Branch - Fletcher Creek to Middle Fork Tr.
- Allowed Uses: Hiking, Mountain Biking, Horseback Riding
- Length: 433 ft
Spencer Branch - Middle Fork Tr. to Big Creek Conn.
- Allowed Uses: Hiking, Mountain Biking, Horseback Riding
- Length: 0.86 mi
Spencer Branch - Big Creek Conn. to Hendersonville Reservoir Road
- Allowed Uses: Hiking, Mountain Biking, Horseback Riding
- Length: 287 ft
Total Calculated Length: 3.04 mi
This value is derived from our underlying map data, and it may not match officially published information.
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