Walnut Creek Road
This section encompasses climbs around the greater Cashiers area. This includes Franklin, Glenville, Lake Toxaway, Highlands, and many of the surrounding areas.
The table below has a description of the climb, Strava segment links, and website content links.
Disclaimer: Climb AT YOUR OWN RISK! Many of these will be difficult, strenuous, with dangerous descents. Do your own research and make sure you are prepared for the terrain. You are responsible for yourself!
| Climb | Description | Links |
| Murphy Rd | A short and easy, 1.5 mile climb southwest of Franklin along the shoulder of Highway 64 and at the end of the Standing Indian climb. It can be a continuation of that climb.The grade is consistently moderate, in the 3-5% range. | Strava, Tour de Franklin |
| North Norton Rd | This climb could be described better as a ramp. There are two spots that are insanely steep, but the overall climb is very short. You have to stand up and grunt through to get over, but the pain does not last long. | Strava, Tour de Cashiers |
| Skeenah Rd | A 1.5 mile climb near the base of the Standing Indian climb. At first the climb is extremely easy and lulls you into a sense of comfort, but there are two steep sections waiting, each with double digit grades. | Strava, Tour de Franklin |
| Standing Indian | A challenging climb up W Old Murphy Rd to the Standing Indian Camground. This one is 4-miles long and relatively difficult, with some on-and-off steep sections and little letup. Overall you gain just shy of 1,500 feet in 4 miles. | Strava, Tour de Franklin |
| Tilley Creek Rd | Starts not far from Western Carolina University in Cullowhee after turning from Highway 107. This can be a difficult climb because much of it is straight so you can see the long stretch of road ahead of you. It can play games with you. Some of the sections are above 10% grade. | Strava, Tour de Cashiers |
| Walnut Creek Road | A long climb over 5 miles that begins off of Highway 64, not too far from Franklin, and takes you up towards Lake Glenville area near Cashiers. The climb has varying pitches. Sometimes it is steep, others it is moderate with a couple false flats. It is recognized as one of the tougher climbs in the area. | Strava, Tour de Cashiers |
Map images: Seth Anthony / CC-BY-SA-3.0
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