Part of the allure of the Uwharrie Mountain Trail Run is that it’s on the Uwharrie National Recreation Trail, a 22.9-mile trail that’s always challenging but never ridiculously so. Part of an ancient mountain chain that may have climbed to 20,000 feet in it’s hey day (high day?), the Uwharries today fall short of 1,000. Quick climbs through this hardwood forest are greeted not with peaks but rounded ridgelines featuring chunks of exposed granite. Lower passages are often along several creeks that penetrate this mid-state national forest. Three roads cross the trail, making for shorter options- one of which we've detailed here, the out and back from Jumping Off Rock to King Mountain. It's a nice, reasonably challenging escape conveniently located to Charlotte, the Triad and the Triangle.
More info: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r08/northcarolina/recreation/uwharrie-national-forest, https://www.visitnc.com/uwharrie-national-forest
Basic Information
Address of Start: F2HW+XR4 Ophir, North Carolina, or right off of Flint Hill Road.
GPS Coordinates: 35.47989, -79.95292
Map of the hike: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/north-carolina/uwharrie-trail-from-jumping-off-rock
Difficulty: Moderately strenuous
Distance: Approx. 4.6 miles.
Trails: Uwharrie National Recreation Trail