There could be many ingredients in cooking up your ideal day. Hopefully, elements like the what, with whom, and where will harmoniously blend together to become your perfect conception. For example, it could be tailgating in Boone for an AppState football game. Hanging around a pool with friends on a hot summer day. Or watching the latest Jordan Peele movie with your girlfriend on a weekend date night. These can be whatever you want to fill the day with. But if your ideal day involves a burrito, a scenic hike around a lake, and a cold craft beer, then let me direct you toward Burke County, North Carolina.
While driving toward Asheville on Interstate 40 westbound, the Burke County border starts around Exit 119 and ends around Exit 94. Burke sits on the cusp of North Carolina’s mountain and piedmont geographic regions meaning its landscape is pretty extreme. The terrain elevates from the eastern foothills to the South and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The County is an outdoor recreation destination with the Linville Gorge, Pisgah National Forest, two State Parks, several state trails, Lake James, and the Catawba River. You’ll see the brown signs along I-40 that indicate this.
So with that description of Burke County, what does my ideal day there look like? That would be grabbing a fun-size burrito at Mountain Burrito. Hiking my favorite section of the Fonta Flora State Trail, and drinking a Fonta Flora beer at the Whippoorwill Farm. The sequence of these elements can either be a burrito, hike, then beer or hike, beer, and then burrito, depending on the time of day and how hungry I am. Basically, do I want to eat the burrito for lunch or dinner? Would I want a full belly during the hike, or could I get by with a snack beforehand?
Located at 408 W Fleming Drive in Morganton, Mountain Burrito’s website describes itself as “a homegrown restaurant specializing in Mexican/Appalachian food” and “voted number one taco joint in town.” Everything is made to order right there in front of you and served with chips. Build your burrito, tacos, nachos, and taco salad by:
- Telling the crew your meat or veggie choice.
- Choosing your toppings like beans, rice, lettuce, cheese, etc.
- Picking whatever excellent salsa, hot sauce, or dressings you want.
I ordered a chicken burrito with black beans, rice, potatoes, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, fresh tomato pico, and tomato ranch dressing on my last visit. Yum! It was delicious. There’s no inside seating. Please take it to go or eat your food on one of the many outside picnic tables.
No joke, but the address where I like to park to access the Fonta Flora State Trail is 126 NC 126, Morganton, NC 28655. This trailhead is called “Fonta Flora County Park and Connector Trailhead” on The Google Maps. It is an estimated 21-minute drive from Mountain Burrito. The section of Fonta Flora State Trail that I like is a 3.7-mile lollipop hike around Lake James. The difficulty switches between easy and moderate the closer you get to the Lake. The natural surface trail is very clean and is used by both hikers and mountain bikers. So be alert and mindful of the bikers.
The Hike
- Begin the hike by taking the connector trail (blue diamond blaze) from the southeast corner of the trailhead paved parking lot. The course starts as crushed stone and soon turns to a natural earth surface. There are restrooms on this stretch before you enter the forest. From the bathrooms, descend around 0.2 miles to the Fonta Flora Trail junction.
- Take a right onto the Fonta Flora Trail (orange feather blaze) for 0.4 miles until the next Connector Trail. Bust a right onto the Connector Trail. In about 0.1 miles, you’ll leave the forest, cross a road, and re-enter the forest on the other side of the road. I’ve seen numerous deer around the road crossing grazing. You’ll intersect the Fonta Flora Trail again about 0.3 miles from the road.
- Hang a left back onto the Fonta Flora toward Lake James. Soon, you’ll be hiking along the rolling terrain of beautiful Lake James. You’ll eventually hit some benches halfway through this hike, and this is a great place to sit and rest. This is also where some prominent views of Lake James are. The jewel of the Lake, if you will. You’ll get a panoramic view of the vast blue body of water, the line of dark green trees, and the Blue Ridge Mountains backdrop. Absolutely breathtaking!
- After taking in the sights, it’s a straight (but curvy) shot to your car. About 1.4 miles down the path, take a left onto the Connector Trail that takes you back to the trailhead.
Fonta Flora Brewery’s Whippoorwill Farm (6751 NC 126, Nebo, NC 28761) is the next stop on my ideal day in Burke County. Just a nine-minute drive from the trail, the Farm is the immediate place for anyone 21 years or older to grab a pint. Order your post-hike craft beer from inside the farmhouse and enjoy the grassy area surrounded by the beautiful Pisgah Forest of lively trees. The Brewery serves enjoyable seasonal stouts, pale ales, and lagers. Two of my favorites are the Lake James lager and Nebo Pilsner. Bring a blanket or camping chair in case the outdoor picnic tables fill up. There’s another Fonta Flora Brewery downtown Morganton close to Mountain Burrito if that works better.
My ideal Burke County Day doesn’t depend on any particular year’s season; you can bring anyone along for the ride. There are seasonal enhancements like fresh green leaves and blooming flowers in the spring and the changing leaf color in the fall. And, of course, the temperature is cooler during both seasons. But unfortunately, the day is dependent on both Mountain Burrito’s and Fonta Flora Brewery’s hours of operation. So I usually enjoyed my Burke County burrito, hike, and beer on the weekends. Enjoy!
For more information about these places, visit their web pages listed below.
Mountain Burrito: https://www.mountainburritonc.com/
Fonta Flora State Trail: https://trails.nc.gov/state-trails/fonta-flora-state-trail
Fonta Flora Brewery: https://fontaflora.com/
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