Gold Hill Rail Trail

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#336633" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gold Hill Mines Historic Park / Rental I">Gold Hill Mines Historic Park / Rental Info</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Education/Tour Info">Education/Tour Info</A></div> <div> <B>Gold Hill Rail Trail</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us/Contact Us">About Us/Contact Us</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Album">Photo Album</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events">Events</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gold Hill Ghost Tour">Gold Hill Ghost Tour</A></div> <div> <A HREF="eh_montgomery_general_store.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="E.H. Montgomery General Store">E.H. Montgomery General Store</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Village of Gold Hill">Village of Gold Hill</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Art Series">Art Series</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Driving Directions">Driving Directions</A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> © 2005-2010  </div> <div>  Vivian Pennington-Hopkins</div> <div> All rights reserved</div> </td> <td valign="top" width="100%" BGCOLOR="#336633" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Historic Gold Hill</FONT> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#3366FF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>   |   <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC00" FACE="Arial" >  <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Historic Gold Hill">home</A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gold Hill Mines Historic Park / Rental I">Gold Hill Mines Historic Park / Rental Info</A>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Education/Tour Info">Education/Tour Info</A>   |   Gold Hill Rail Trail   |   <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us/Contact Us">About Us/Contact Us</A>   |   <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Album">Photo Album</A>   |   <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events">Events</A>   |   <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gold Hill Ghost Tour">Gold Hill Ghost Tour</A>   |   <A HREF="eh_montgomery_general_store.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="E.H. Montgomery General Store">E.H. Montgomery General Store</A>   |   <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Village of Gold Hill">Village of Gold Hill</A>   |   <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Art Series">Art Series</A>   |   <A HREF="id38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Driving Directions">Driving Directions</A></div> <div> Gold Hill Rail Trail</div> <div> <IMG SRC="33df79f0.jpg" border=0 width="247" height="415" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">     <IMG SRC="3423a9f0.png" border=0 width="314" height="415" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">    </div> <bR> <div> Stop in at the E.H. Montgomery General Store to request a guided tour or to pick up the Rail Trail Tour Brochure to hike on your own.</div> <bR> <div> A trip along the Gold Hill Rail-Trail through this historic village will transport you back to a time when North Carolina was the country's top gold-producing state. Signs posted every few hundred feet along the mile-long dirt and gravel path detail the history of mining in the state. Gold was officially discovered here in 1824 following a US geological survey in 1823. Spawned by the1799 gold strike at nearby Reed Gold Mine, in its glory days Gold Hill was the richest mining property east of the Mississippi.</div> <bR> <div> The trail begins about 100 yards past the junction of St. Stephens Church Road and Baptist Church Road. There's no sign or even a clear path to indicate that the strip of grass along the road is a trail,(Signage for this end of the trail is forthcoing) but if you want the full history lesson, park at St. Stephen's and backtrack to this point.  On the route back to your car, you'll pass the old Randolph Shaft,  miner's field, the powder house, and the assay office, where miners staked their claims and weighed their gold. Just past the assay office is the first historical marker. Cross the street here to join the clearly defined gravel trail.</div> <bR> <div> Much of the onward trail passes through forest, so keep watch for such wildlife as deer and broadtail hawks. There are a few swampy patches, so be prepared for a muddy trek if you visit following a rainstorm. It may appear the trails ends when the gravel ends, but the trail actually extends beyond this point. The gravel ends at a ravine where the old railroad trestle was. Future signage will encourage hikers to scale the ravine and up the other side to continue on the trail to end at the old Union Gold and Copper Mine Site in Cabarrus County. The view of the ruins is almost breath taking. Hikers must stay on the trail, so as not to trespass on private property.</div> <bR> <div> Back in the village, check out the various historic buildings that have been restored as cafés, antique shops, and museums. The E.H. Montgomery is your destination for a history lesson with a great pictorial display with descriptions and interpretations as well as artifact displays. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>