A geological and cultural history tour of the Little Tennessee River and its watershed will be held Saturday May 14 and May 21 that traces the way the river has shaped its people and the land.

The tour is an annual event sponsored by the Little Tennessee Watershed Association. Tour-goers can come on one or both days, as each explore different elements of the river’s unique cultural and natural history. On both days, local conservation experts and community leaders will share why this river that runs the mountain communities is so important, as well as efforts to restore and protect it for future generations. The tour format is a bus journey with stops at key points of interest.

• The tour on Saturday, May 14, focuses on the streams and headwaters that feed the Little Tennessee River. The tour will stop at the historic Barkers Creek Mill and pause at Betty’s Creek for some “true” fishing stories. The tour will also visit the Coweeta Hydrologic Lab, one of the two such federal facilities that study the interaction between weather, land, rivers and people. Guides will highlight Nikwasi Mound, built by the Cherokee and located within the Franklin town limits.

A picnic lunch will be held at a shelter on the Little Tennessee Greenway, where discussion will focus on Cherokee and pioneer uses of the river and its importance to humanity of the next century and beyond. The tour will be laced with accounts of the famous expedition taken 230 years ago by William Bartram, a botanist and naturalist who documented his explorations in the renowned diary Bartram’s Travels. Stream restoration projects that are improving water quality will be highlighted throughout the day as well.

• The tour on Saturday, May 21, moves downriver, exploring the ancient Cherokee fish traps that are still visible. Tour guides will talk about the historic West Mill Community and the incredibly beautiful Needmore Tract, complete with a swinging bridge that spans the river. Needmore is the recently preserved 4,000-acre tract that helps makes this stretch of river the template against which other Appalachian rivers should be compared because its flora and fauna — including rare, endangered species — appears to be complete.

The tour crosses into the Nantahala Gorge to view one of the other major rivers, namely the Nantahala, that help the Little Tennessee form Fontana Lake. The Gorge is home to a quarter million whitewater rafters, kayakers, and Olympic hopefuls each year. During lunch at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, discussion will highlight why the Nantahala is also known as the Queen of N.C. Trout Waters and the stuff of history and legend in the Gorge.

The trip back to Franklin includes stops at a commercial trout farm where you can learn about the complex efforts needed to bring tasty rainbows to the table. The tour will also visit Nantahala Lake for a discussion of the hydroelectric operations there.

The bus tours leave from Macon County Recreation Park at 9 a.m. and return at 2:30 p.m. on both days of the tour. The cost is $25 for one day or $40 for both days, and includes a one-year membership in the LTWA. The cost for current members is $15 for one day or $25 for both days. For more information contact 828.369.6402 or chrisfitz@ltwa.org.