Florence Nature Preserve is a small, 600-acre treasure surrounded by private property. This jewel is hidden away on the slopes of Little Pisgah Mountain, off the Drovers Road Scenic Byway. The Preserve only has a few miles of trail, all well signposted. A rushing stream with small cascades traverses the property, which has a meadow and several rock outcrops. This land is owned by the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy but is open to the hiking public. The Preserve is so new that the trails don’t have names yet, just colored diamond-shaped blazes.

The picture is of a Cunninghamia lanceolata, sometimes called a “china fir,” a large conifer with long, flat needles. This exotic tree, used for landscaping, comes from the mountains of Taiwan and is common in city parks in Taipei, but not in the mountains of North Carolina.

Length: 6.1 miles

Altitude gain: 1,650 ft.

Map: Available at  www.carolinamountain.org

Trailhead: From Asheville, take I-240 east to exit 9 (Bat Cave and US 74A east). Follow US 74A east to Gerton. At the Upper Hickory Nut Gorge Community Center, drive another mile to a parking area and chimney on the left. The trail starts to the left of the chimney as you face it. The community center is 6.4 miles west of Chimney Rock State Park.

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