July 9, 2026
City of Brevard
The City of Brevard and Pisgah Area SORBA invite the community to celebrate the expansion of the Bracken Preserve trail network on Friday, July 17.
The City of Brevard purchased an additional 34 acres adjacent to Bracken Preserve west of downtown Brevard in 2023 with the help of Conserving Carolina, the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority, and private donors. Home Trust Bank also donated two parcels of land in the Waterford Place community to the expanded natural footprint and now local officials are opening nearly two miles of new trails in that expanded area to the public.
A news release from the city of Brevard says these new trails created by Long Cane Trails will enhance the visitor experience by adding some easier routes into the Bracken mix, and will also help establish a more sustainable trail system by mitigating erosion within the preserve’s terrain.
Pisgah Area SORBA, the non-profit group that took on primary responsibility for trail maintenance in Bracken in 2024, has hosted a series of volunteer trail work days to help move the trails toward completion.
“This trail is a great example of what can happen when a community comes together around a shared vision,” said Executive Director of Pisgah Area SORBA Chris Kehmeier in the news release. “The City of Brevard’s leadership, Long Cane Trails’ outstanding work, and the incredible support and dedication of the project donors and volunteers created something that simply wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. This trail wasn’t just built for the community; it was built by the community.”
The city of Brevard was able to fund the establishment of a permanent conservation easement on the Bracken Mountain property in 2005 through a $1.04 million grant from the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund which focused on the area’s high-elevation seep complexes, some of the largest and highest-quality upland groundwater-fed wetland areas in the state.
The biodiversity hotspots in Bracken Preserve support several rare plant and moss species, including the perennial wetland plant Mountain Rush after which one of the new trails is named. While some guests associate this outdoor recreation destination with its scenic trail network, the trail system exists primarily to protect its fragile ecosystems and has been designed with routes to avoid these delicate plants.
Guests are invited to take part in a group bicycle ride on the new trails that will depart from the Jimmy Harris Railroad Depot (390 Railroad Ave.) at 9:15 a.m. on July 17 or to arrive at the mid-morning ribbon cutting via a shuttle that will leave from the Railroad Depot at 10 a.m.
A reception will follow the ribbon cutting back at the Depot at 11 a.m.
Schedule:
9:00 Group riders meet at the Depot
9:15 Group ride rolls out for Bracken
10:00 Shuttles begin departing from the Depot
10:30 Ribbon cutting at Bracken Preserve
(Due to the Bracken parking lot’s small size, there may not be space for individual cars.
Please utilize the free shuttles running from the Depot.)
11:00 Reception and refreshments at the Depot
More information is available at www.cityofbrevard.com/m/newsflash/home/detail/955 or visit the official Bracken Preserve website.