Fall in Cashiers, on Foot: The Village Green Calendar and the Greenway Ramble Still Growing Toward Frank Allen Road
"We're excited to see bollards going in," Irv Welling, chairman of Vision Cashiers, told the Highlander in July. "These will 'light the way' to the CGR trails and the many rich experiences and discoveries we'll all get to enjoy." He was talking about the expansion of the Cashiers Greenway Ramble. Each new segment named in that announcement leads to the same street. One runs from U.S. 64 at the Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce to Frank Allen Road. Another runs from N.C. 107 to Frank Allen Road, and a third runs along Frank Allen Road itself.
Now look at the fall calendar. The Cashiers Area Chamber lists Lewis Hall at The Village Green, 160 Frank Allen Road. Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry is at 543 Frank Allen Road. From the first Saturday in October to the day after Thanksgiving, most of what is happening in the center of Cashiers happens on or next to that one street. The trail is being built toward the same block where the season takes place. For Saratay Falls, a few minutes outside the crossroads, that makes this the fall to learn what is walkable now and what is still under construction.
The WALK CASHIERS website lists 2.3 miles open so far, out of a planned network of more than five miles. Phase One opened with a ribbon cutting on July 24, 2024, at the Thomas Taulbee Memorial Entrance. It is a loop of about a mile that starts and ends at the Chamber. The Village Green counts its own Salamander Loop as a major section of the Ramble. The Green itself is a 13.2-acre nonprofit park, and it invites the public onto its paths, wetlands and forest glade.
The new work is still in progress. The Laurel Magazine's September 2026 issue described construction as underway on the Frank Allen Road connections. It also reported that bollards with downlighting and internet capability are being installed. No opening date or ribbon cutting for the 2026 segments has been announced since the July report. Plan any October walk on the assumption that the Frank Allen connectors are still job sites.
The crews are local. Ben Riddle of Cashiers Construction is overseeing rough pathway construction. Miguel Mireles of Mireles Landscaping Services is directing finish work, and Arielle McIntyre of Kintyre Design is leading landscape design and plantings. Bobby Botev of Highland Mark is handling lighting and internet infrastructure. Every contractor agreed to work at cost.
| Where | Fall 2026 role | Ramble status |
|---|---|---|
| Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce, U.S. 64 | Start of the Phase One loop | Open since July 2024 |
| The Village Green and Salamander Loop | Leaf Festival, markets, Halloween, tree lighting | Open; counted as part of the Ramble |
| Lewis Hall, 160 Frank Allen Road | Chili Cook-Off, Santa visits | New connectors under construction |
| Fishes & Loaves, 543 Frank Allen Road | Empty Bowls | New connectors under construction |
| Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library | Planned link toward Cashiers Lake | Connector under construction |
The table reflects the September 2026 reporting. The connectors in the bottom three rows have been announced but not yet opened.
October is the month when the calendar and the construction overlap most. It opens on Frank Allen Road.
The Mountain Heritage talk is the only item on the list that is away from the Green. It is on N.C. 107, one of the two highways the new connectors are being built to reach. The Historical Society also opened something new this year. "At the Crossroads of Time: Cashiers in the American Story" is a new permanent exhibit at Zachary-Tolbert House that opened on June 22, 2026, and it is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Because it is open every day, you can visit on any afternoon this fall, not only on a scheduled event date.
After the market closes and Halloween is over, the calendar thins out to two holiday days back to back. The November dates are early enough in the day that the Green's paths work for a walk before or after.
Thursday, November 26: Gobble on the Green, a Thanksgiving-morning 5K run and walk with a free Junior Warrior Course for children. Race-day check-in runs 7:15 to 8:30 a.m.
Friday, November 27: The Mistletoe Market at Lights on the Green, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Santa is at Lewis Hall from 1 to 4 p.m., and the free tree-lighting ceremony runs 5 to 7 p.m. at the Gazebo, with the tree lit at 5:45 p.m.
The one deadline in this section comes before Halloween. Santa visits require registration, and registration on the Village Green's Christmas page opens October 27. If you want a time slot on November 27, register in late October.
That Friday follows the same pattern as the rest of the season. The market and the tree lighting are on the Green, and Santa is at Lewis Hall on Frank Allen Road. All of it takes place in the corridor the new Ramble segments are being built to connect.
The expansion goes beyond Frank Allen Road. One of the new connectors starts near the Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library and runs toward Cashiers Lake. Cashiers Lake and several other private landowners have given permission for the trail to cross their property. Cashiers Lake is a private residential development, not a public park. Future trail segments inside it are expected to become part of the Ramble and eventually reach Summit Charter School. When the full chain is built, Summit Charter School students will be able to walk from campus to the library and to the Boys & Girls Club of the Plateau.
That connection is still a plan, and no completion date has been published. For this October and November, the walkable part of Cashiers is the Phase One loop and the paths on the Green. The calendar's two Frank Allen Road addresses, Lewis Hall and Fishes & Loaves, sit next to the construction that will eventually link them. Supporters can follow progress and contribute to future phases at cashiersramble.com.
The first item on the season's list is Saturday, October 3, at 543 Frank Allen Road, with a $25 donation for a handmade bowl.
Our team at Michelle Michaud keeps track of how projects like the Greenway Ramble are changing day-to-day access around Cashiers, including the corridor near Saratay Falls. If you are deciding when to list a Cashiers-side home and how to present its walking access to village events, Schedule a Complimentary Luxury Listing Consultation.
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