The first of the Maddron Bald Trail follow a gravel maintenance road. The trail begins its gradual ascent from a shady area along the park's northern boundary (several residences line the road opposite the trailhead), with the traffic of US-321 audible beyond the treeline. At , the trail passes the Baxter Cabin, built in 1889 by Willis Baxter as a wedding present for his son. The cabin, constructed with chestnut logs, was one of several structures preserved as examples of pioneer life in 19th-century Appalachia. Baxter's chicken coop, originally situated near the cabin, was moved to the Mountain Farm Museum at Oconaluftee, in North Carolina.