Sunday, September 2, 2012

Best Hiking Trails In North Carolina

#1. Mount Mitchell

Mt. Mitchell—the highest peak east of the Mississippi—is a crowning part of the Blue Ridge Parkway experience. The only motorized access to the mountain is from the Parkway, at Milepost 355.3, and the…
From the guidebook "Hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway"
Asheville, NC - Hiking - 12 miles  

  
#2. Uwharrie National Forest Trails

Uwharrie National Forest is an increasingly attractive “best kept secret” where state-designated Scenic Byways meander through the undulating remains of North America’s oldest mountain range. The stat…
From the guidebook "Hiking North Carolina"
Asheboro, NC - Hiking - 66.5 miles   

 
#3. Mount Pisgah Area Trails

Driving the Parkway from Asheville to Mt. Pisgah is a humbling experience —especially if you stopped by Biltmore House and Gardens on the way through town. George W. Vanderbilt’s fascinating palatial…
From the guidebook "Hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway"
Brevard, NC - Hiking - 6.4 miles 

   
#4. Gregory Bald Overnight Loop

This hike combines the best that the high and low country have to offer. First, you'll travel up the Twentymile Trail past Twentymile Cascades to the Upper Flats streamside camp. Then an arduous climb…
From the guidebook "Day & Overnight Hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park"
Fontana Village, NC - Hiking - 15.7 miles  

  
#5. Appalachian Trail: Clingmans Dome to Spence Field

This hike is a long, difficult, beautiful hike, and by the end, you will have your own definition of a southern Appalachian knob. The trail follows an easy descent for about 3 miles; then a short roc…
From the guidebook "Exploring the Appalachian Trail: Hikes in the Southern Appalachians"
Cades Cove, NC - Hiking - 22.1 miles 

   
#6. Appalachian Trail in North Carolina

Each spring nearly 1,500 people hoist unbelievably heavy packs onto their backs and strain down a misty trail, intent on accomplishing the most difficult task of their lives: going the length of the A…
From the guidebook "Hiking North Carolina"
Bakersville, NC - Hiking - 318 miles  

  
#7. Craggy Gardens Trails

How can names like Craggy Gardens, Craggy Dome, and Craggy Pinnacle not inspire hikers? Visible from all over northwest North Carolina, these barren crests offer awesome views. As the Blue Ridge Parkw…
From the guidebook "Hiking North Carolina"
Asheville, NC - Hiking - 9.6 miles  

  
#8. Shining Rock Wilderness Trails

Shining Rock—like the Craggy Mountains and Mount Mitchell just north of Asheville—is where the Parkway delivers some of the southern Appalachians’ most stunning scenery. The horizon peels back on an a…
From the guidebook "Hiking North Carolina"
Waynesville, NC - Hiking - 68.5 miles  

  
#9. Shining Rock Wilderness

As you drive south out of Asheville and climb past Mt. Pisgah, the Shining Rock Wilderness can’t help but catch your attention. The horizon peels back on an almost Western scale, and meadow-covered m…
From the guidebook "Hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway"
Brevard, NC - Hiking - 8.8 miles 

   
#10. Linville Gorge Wilderness

A 12,002-acre tract of designated wilderness, Linville Gorge lies between Jonas Ridge to the east and Linville Mountain to the west. The Blue Ridge Parkway skirts the head of the gorge on the northwes…
From the guidebook "Hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway"
Crossnore, NC - Hiking - 14 miles  

  
#11. Appalachian Trail: Allen Gap to Devil Fork Gap

The northern half of this hike borders the Bald Mountain Ridge Scenic Area in the Cherokee National Forest, and the AT runs along a rugged, isolated crest. Outstanding views, masses of rhododendron a…
From the guidebook "Exploring the Appalachian Trail: Hikes in the Southern Appalachians"
Hot Springs, NC - Hiking - 20.2 miles   

 
#12. Appalachian Trail: Carvers Gap to Roan High Bluff & Rhododendron Gardens

Roan Mountain is a place of mystery, legend, wild beauty, and superlatives. The largest of the southern Appalachian grassy balds, it also boasts one of the most beautiful displays of Catawba rhododen…
From the guidebook "Exploring the Appalachian Trail: Hikes in the Southern Appalachians"
Bakersville, NC - Hiking - 5.6 miles    


#13. Appalachian Trail: Carvers Gap to US 19E

Wide-open spaces, miles of waving grass, alpine wildflowers … Is this the southern Appalachians? Botanist Asa Gray observed in the 1880s that he could ride his horse for 14 miles on Roan Mountain and…
From the guidebook "Exploring the Appalachian Trail: Hikes in the Southern Appalachians"
Roan Mountain, TN - Hiking - 13.4 miles  

   
#14. Appalachian Trail: Davenport Gap to Max Patch

Because of distance and several long ups and downs, the rating on this hike is "strenuous," but in general the grade is good with no difficult or rough spots. The trail passes through peaceful second…
From the guidebook "Exploring the Appalachian Trail: Hikes in the Southern Appalachians"
Waterville, NC - Hiking - 16 miles  

 
#15. Foothills Trail: Bad Creek Access to Rocky Bottom

This is one long and spectacular section of trail. It is hard to find 30 miles of trail in the East without crossing a major road, but the Foothills Trail delivers. It occasionally passes by normally…
From the guidebook "Long Trails of the Southeast"
Salem, SC - Hiking - 30.3 miles    

 
#16. Graveyard Fields Loop Trail

A loop that reaches two waterfalls and explores a high, alpine-like valley. A second circuit involves a new portion of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Hikes on the well-maintained but heavily traveled Gra…
From the guidebook "Hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway"
Brevard, NC - Hiking - 9.5 miles   


#17. Grandfather Mountain

Grandfather Mountain is a rocky, spectacular summit known to tourists for great views from its privately owned road and Mile-High Swinging Bridge. The peak is one of the region’s premier natural areas…
From the guidebook "Hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway"
Linville, NC - Hiking - 4.8 miles  

 
#18. Charlotte Trails

The Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation Department boasts a diverse system of trails, with 35 miles of trails in five nature preserves and another 22 miles in eight urban greenways. This award-win…
From the guidebook "Hiking North Carolina"
Charlotte, NC - Hiking - 28 miles    ..

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