The trailhead sits just before the entrance to Tremont Institute – it sits right behind the pump house at the top of the hill. The trail starts climbing and comes to a fork, where you can follow the trail to the left or take a right to visit a maintained cemetery where many of the families in the area were buried. You’ll notice a high number of children buried here, which speaks to the high infant mortality rate in the 1800s and early 1900s. Family names you’ll see in the cemetery are Moore, Stinnett, Carlyle, Cook, and McCarter. These families lived in the Tremont area, making a life for themselves living off the land.
Once you have looked around, you can go back the way you came to pick up the trail or take a rough path through the woods to rejoin the West Prong a little further up the trail. If you go back to the trail, you’ll work your way up the trail, and you’ll see a hog trap off to the right, which is used to capture wild boar, an invasive, non-native species that destroys vegetation and native animals. As the trail climbs Fodderstack Mountain, the West Prong can be heard below the trail and views through the open woods provide opportunities to take in the surrounding hills and creek valleys.
After climbing for about a mile, the trail begins a mile long descent to West Prong where wildflowers can be seen in wet areas beside the trail. An easy rock hop over a side creek leads you to Campsite #18. There are several campsites on both sides of the stream for people who want to camp overnight. Once you pass the campsite and cross a foot log, the trail goes to the right and starts climbing again. While not steep, it doesn’t level off for the rest of the trail. Bote Mountain Trail is the end of the West Prong Trail. You have several options when you get to the junction. You can go back the way you came, or take the Bote Mountain Trail.