Put ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until puffed and golden. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 minutes. With a flexible spatula, remove strata to
Editor’s Note: Andrews is open and ready for visitors! We encourage anyone considering a visit to check this North Carolina Department of Transportation map and thoughtfully plan from there. To her
Editor’s Note: Andrews is open and ready for visitors! We encourage anyone considering a visit to check this North Carolina Department of Transportation map and thoughtfully plan from there. To her
To her core, Sara Ruth Posey Davis feels a oneness with the people who have been rooted in Andrews’s fertile soil more than 10,000 years. Folded between the Snowbird Mountain range on the north side and the Valley River mountains on the south, the Andrews valley has long charmed farmers and nature lovers like Davis. “It is really, really special to me. With wide open, picturesque views, you really feel like you’re out west, but you’re in the Southern Appalachian Mountains,” she says. “It’s one of the most unique river valleys in the world.”
Sara and her husband, Squarl, have years of tourism experience, from guiding whitewater rafting expeditions to tourism photography. When they discovered a cycling need within the community, they knew they had what it took to fill it. “The Nantahala Mountain terrain is challenging, and we were doing gravel road rides with our regular bike, all while pulling a trailer with our two kids,” Sara says. “We started researching e-bikes.”
Experience everything from whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River to relaxing by a creek in this Cherokee County town. photograph by Analasah Anderson Photography
Today, their Nantahala Adventures company takes vacationers on two- and four-hour e-bike tours through the backroads of the Nantahala National Forest, operating under a special use permit with the United States Forest Service. On their Mountain View ride, Squarl guides bikers along a forest service road that climbs through rhododendron blooms, past trout streams, and up to overlooks of the Valley River Mountains and Nantahala Lake. “You’re going up about 1,200 feet in elevation, but the e-bikes make it feel like you’re not even doing anything,” Sara says.
The Davises take every opportunity to get out and explore the mountains, forests, and wildlife of Andrews, and you can, too, with our guide for where to go, what to bring, and how to explore. Let’s get into it.
Ride Along the Andrews Valley Rail Tour
For a variation on e-bikes, combine leisure and exercise on the Andrews Valley Rail Tour, where you and your fellow passengers can kick back in comfortable RailBikes and travel along an old railroad bed that leads through the valley. These vessels are open-air and powered by electricity and light pedaling. However, depending on your level of adventure and ability, you also have the choice of making the journey aboard the pedal-free Cart, complete with captain’s chairs that swivel, or in the Choo-Choo, a gas-powered cart.
The 8.5-mile round trip immerses passengers in a beautiful Blue Ridge setting, complete with views of the mountains, streams, and lush forests; plus, keep your eyes peeled for wildlife!
At your destination — the Valley River Tunnel — you’ll have plenty of time to explore the historic, hand-carved tunnel and peaceful creek. Feel free to bring drinks and snacks if you want to enjoy a little picnic at the tunnel. Plan to spend a total of about two hours on the tour, offered from May to November.
See if you can spot rainbow trout while decompressing by the Valley River. photograph by Analasah Anderson Photography
Go Fly-Fishing in the River Valley
During spring through summer, stocked rainbow trout swim through Valley River, which flows westward from the Nantahala National Forest in Cherokee County, crisscrossing through the valley between Andrews and Murphy. Come fall, however, the trout swim east to spawn in the small streams.
The Valley River is free-flowing — in other words, it’s not dammed — until it meets up with the Hiawassee River. “That makes it really special,” Sara explains. “Free-flowing rivers do not fluctuate with dam water releases, giving the fish and aquatic insects a more stable environment for natural spawning to occur.”
If you’re interested in casting your line in these smaller streams, you can head to Dave Bristol Park, where a public fishing pier is open to the public 24 hours a day. And at Heritage Park, you can fly-fish as you wade through the creek.
“Slightly out of town, there’s a public preserve called the Welch Farm & Preserve Tract on the Valley River that’s fantastic,” Sara adds. “There aren’t a lot of amenities, but it’s a great place maintained by the Mainspring Conservation Trust, and they manage it for public access.”
Soak in the beauty of Nantahala Lake by hopping on a paddle board, kayak, or canoe. photograph by Analasah Anderson Photography
Paddle in Nantahala Lake
From its home in the Nantahala National Forest, Nantahala Lake’s clean, blue-green water seems to be a palette reflecting the surrounding Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains. “It’s colder than what people are used to but very refreshing in the summer,” Sara says.
If you don’t have your own vessel, you can rent a kayak, canoe, or stand-up paddleboard at the Lakes End Marina (you can also snag a picnic lunch there), and take your time paddling along 30 miles of shoreline.
Sara and her family like to put their boat in at the marina and paddle out to a small island on the left, where they can spot a bald eagle’s nest on the main shore. Their next destination is a cove that leads to the lake’s dam. “By the dam is a huge rockface blasted out, and it’s really cool to kayak beside that giant rock face,” Sara says.
Beach your boat, let the water lapping against the shoreline lick your feet as you keep your eyes peeled for incoming bald eagles.
Whether you’re looking for an adventurous solo trip or a family-friendly stroll, Piney Knob Trail offers scenic options that suite both styles. photograph by Analasah Anderson Photography
Bike or Hike Piney Knob Trail
Ask almost any local about a great place for mountain biking, and they’ll direct you to Piney Knob, part of Fain Mountain’s Murphy Watershed. Here, 15 miles of multiuse trails draw mountain biking and hiking enthusiasts. The property was conserved by the Mainspring Conservation Trust and The Town of Murphy. Creation of the trails were a community-volunteer affair; now they’re overseen by Southern Appalachian Bicycle Association (SABA). “Squarl was part of the crew who helped build those,” Sara says. “When volunteers first started working on the project, the road up there had five-foot-deep gulleys.”
Today, the trail system runs along old logging roads and boasts sweeping views. “If you want to have a super-fun flow ride, bike the inner loop,” she recommends. “I like to warm up with the bigger, outer loop.”
Sara likes that even though she’s up on the top of Fain Mountain, she’s still under forest cover that feels magical with spring ephemeral flowers. “The eastern hemlock has been hit hard by a blight, but here on the interior, there’s a hemlock forest. And the wildflowers are phenomenal.”
Stop by Hoppy Trout Brewing Co. between 2 to 5 p.m. for “hoppy hour” and try a cleverly-named craft beer. photograph by Analasah Anderson Photography
Visit Hoppy Trout Brewing Co. and FernCrest Winery
It’s hard to say what’s most appealing about Hoppy Trout’s menu: the handmade pizza fired in their Sicilian-style brick oven or the small-batch beer brewmaster Tom Rodeck has been perfecting for years. For the Davises, it’s a toss-up between the beer and the community. “Hoppy Trout has the best beer anywhere. We’re definitely craft beer people, and they have got it nailed,” Sara says.
From the moment guests walk in, they’re embraced with a friendly, relaxing vibe. “You’re guaranteed to meet somebody you know and talk to them,” she says. She appreciates their commitment to buying local ingredients, like blueberries, which go into their blueberry beer. “They also have a really great cucumber-jalapeño beer called the Pterodactyl in Suits — all the beers have great names!”
In honor of a shared interest between the owners, all wines on FernCrest Winery’s menu are named after ferns. photograph by Analasah Anderson Photography
Just down the street at FernCrest Winery, owners Jan and Kurt Olson nurture a shared love of wine and ferns. When it comes to the latter, Kurt grows them from spores and can identify any wild ferns he spots.
As for the grapes, the Olsons harvest them from a small vineyard they planted in the Snowbird Mountains. In the year after their first harvest in 2013, the wines they made from their chardonel and vidal blanc grapes took home gold medals at the WineMaker magazine’s International Amateur Competition. Their Fiddlehead, a dry cabernet franc blend, won double gold at the 2024 NC Wine competition.
When you have a seat in their cozy tasting room and savor a glass of their award-winning wine — produced from fruit grown in Andrews’s fertile valley — it’s easy to understand why this is the place Sara loves to call home.
Ready to see the valley, hit the trails, and taste the libations for yourself? Click here to start planning your visit to this special corner at the edge of western North Carolina.
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