This is a memorial plaque to Joyce Kilmer, famous for the poem “Trees.” The name is a pseudonym, and in fact Joyce Kilmer was a man. He died in action during World War I in France.
The plaque is in the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, seventeen miles west of Robbinsville, North Carolina. Though popular, the site is well off the beaten track. You leave Robbinsville on US 129, follow the signs and turn left on a Forest Service road to the parking lot.
The plaque is in the center of a figure-8 trail. The hike around both loops is about two miles, and it’s an easy hike on gentle grades. The back side of the loop passes some enormous trees in one of the last virgin forests in the East.
The memorial forest is part of the Nantahala National Forest. From the parking lot, other trails lead into a challenging wilderness.
