Orange Trail

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Historical Significance · River/Creek · Spring · Views · Waterfall · Wildflowers · Wildlife

There are several creek crossings on this trail, but none that should get your feet wet!

The Orange Trail is a point-to-point trail that is accessible approximately one mile from the White Trail in Boling Park or Hightower Church. The 1.4 mile trail returns to Hightower Church and the trailhead is located to the right (north) side of the Church along Old Shoal Creek Trail Road.

From Boling Park on White, a beautiful, small, cascading waterfall marks the beginning of the trail. The first 0.3 mile along the trail was devasted by a tornado in 2011. Big Leaf Magnolias have sprung up amongst the decaying deadfalls as the forest rejuvenates along the ridge line and down to the creek.

The trail continues winding along the cascading creek and has several water features to enjoy. If you keep an eye out you'll see an old still site along the creek to explore. Please do not remove or damage any of the historical items so that it is available for other fellow hikers to explore in the future.

The trail intersects with Purple Trail at 0.3 miles from White and continues up the ridge on the edge of a clearcut section to the highest point of the trail and the halfway point, where it crosses Old Shoal Creek Road. Orange continues down the hill through a short clearcut section that was recently logged and eventually back into the canopy of the trees along the creek bottom. This section of the clearcut is under redevelopment and constant maintenance with erosion, so please be cautious and patient as we work to make improvements.

The last 0.5 miles of the trail continues crisscrossing the creek and eventually starts to climb out of the creek bottom up to the trailhead at Hightower Church. Along this section, you'll see a sign to Huckberry Hill on your right. This is the old Orange Loop that at one time was the second-longest trail in the Trace.

Unfortunately, this segment of the trail was destroyed several years ago due to the clearcutting and efforts are being made to restore this section in the next few years. At this sign, you can still find the old trail behind the sign (not maintained) and can be taken up to Historic Mt. Carmel Road. To the right at Mt. Carmel Road will bring you back out to a gate on Old Shoal Creek Road. To the left, connects to several old historic or logging roads in the Trace that can take you out to Laurel Gap/Jug Creek area. The Sutallee Trace Stewards do not recommend taking this trail without good navigational skills as this is unmarked currently.