Florence Nature Preserve — Attraction in Fletcher

There is a nice new trail head with clearly marked trails on a giant map so we planned a loop starting on the Yellow trail, then Blue the Red etc. Problem is when you get on the trail the clearly marked blazes on the Blue trail do not go anywhere near the Blue trail shown on the map. Come to find out there is a separate trail not shown on the giant map called Hickory Nut Gorge trail, also blazed in Blue that you intersect on the Yellow trail not to long after passing an old barn. 3 miles, 1.5 hours, very poorly maintained trails and 1500' elevation gain later we ended up at a dead end at the top the mountain. We abandon the hope of a loop and reversed the course back down. There is lots of poison Ivy along this trail, in some places like a carpet and a giant wasp nest in a 8" diameter hole on the trail. I am sitting in my house the next morning comparing the blue trail blaze track from my GPS to the trail map available on line and it is literally 90 degrees apart and after 30 mins of research found the unlisted trail. And there is no mobile signal when on the trail so don't plan on using your phone for a GPS and expect it to pull a map. Update 2 days after the hike. Even though we were super careful when we got back to the car and threw all the clothes in the wash when we got home... the poison ivy is starting to...

My wife and I did a 4 mile loop hike at this preserve today.

First let me say there is very limited parking. And it's a very narrow parking area, you just can't get your car off of the road into the parking lot from the road.

If you're looking for a moderate to strenuous hike, this one could be for you however. It is a well-maintained trail and well marked but it's basically just walking in the woods. It was a work out.

There are a few scenic interests as you'll note from my photos. But overall the scenic value is limited. There might be more things to actually see during the fall and winter months when the leaves are not covering everything but don't come in the summer if you want a scenic hike.

We had an okay time but I have no plans to go...

There's a modest trail system here that's perfect for a nice afternoon hike. From the main parking area there is a not-too-intense trail that is almost all uphill for a good bit. There are creek crossings, both rock and cut log, throughout. There's at least one large boulder that has easy access to the top. There's an old house-like structure that's still hanging about. At the end of this connector trail is the main loop of the system. I have not gotten to explore this section yet, but I will. On the other side of 74A from the parking is another trail to...