North Carolina Hiking Trails

A creek flows between boulders in a small cascade.

Harold Blackwood photo

 

From waterfalls to vistas to beautiful displays of wildflowers, there is something for everyone on the Parkway trails in North Carolina.

 
Milepost Name and Description Distance Difficulty

217.5

Cumberland Knob Trail (ideal lazy-day walk)

.5

Easy

217.5

Gully Creek Trail (rewarding loop that meanders by stream)

2.0

Strenuous

218.6

Fox Hunters Paradise Trail (view)

.2

Easy

230.1

Little Glad Millpond (easy loop stroll around pond)

.4

Easy

238.5

Cedar Ridge Trail (great for day hike; vistas and forests)

4.2

Moderate

238.5

Bluff Mountain Trail (parallels Parkway to Milepost 244.7)

7.5

Moderate

241.0

Fodder Stack Trail (great variety of plants)

1.0

Moderate

243.7

Grassy Gap Fire Road (wide enough for side-by-side hiking)

6.5

Moderate

243.7

Basin Creek Trail (access from back-country campground)

3.3

Moderate

244.7

Flat Rock Ridge Trail (forest path with vistas)

5.0

Moderate

260.3

Jumpingoff Rocks Trail (forest path to vista)

1.0

Easy

264.4

The Lump Trail (to hilltop view)

.3

Easy

271.9

Cascades Trail (self-guiding loop to view of falls)

.5

Moderate

272.5

Tompkins Knob Trail (to Jesse Brown Cabin)

.6

Easy

294.0

Rich Mountain Carriage, Horse & Hiking Trail

4.3

Moderate

294.0

Flat Top Mountain Carriage, Horse & Hiking Trail

3.0

Moderate

294.0

Watkins Carriage, Horse & Hiking Trail

3.3

Easy/Moderate

294.0

Black Bottom Carriage, Horse & Hiking Trail

.5

Easy

294.0

Bass Lake Carriage, Horse & Hiking Trail

1.7

Easy

294.0

Deer Park Carriage, Horse & Hiking Trail

.8

Moderate

294.0

Maze Carriage, Horse & Hiking Trail

2.3

Moderate

294.0

Duncan Carriage, Horse & Hiking Trail

2.5

Moderate

294.0

Rock Creek Bridge Carriage, Horse & Hiking Trail

1.0

Easy

294.1

Figure 8 Trail (short self-guiding loop around nature trail)

.7

Easy

294.6

Trout Lake Hiking & Horse Trail (loop)

1.0

Easy

295.9

Green Knob Trail (to Green Knob)

2.3

Moderate/Strenuous

296.5

Boone Fork Trail (stream, forest, and meadows)

5.5

Moderate/Strenuous

297.0

Price Lake Loop Trail (loop around Price Lake)

2.7

Moderate

304.4

Linn Cove Viaduct Access Trail

.2

Easy

305.2

Beacon Heights Trail (10 minutes to view)

.2

Moderate

305.5

Tanawha Trail (diverse features; parallels Parkway to Price Park)

13.5

Moderate/Strenuous

308.2

Flat Rock Trail (self-guiding loop)

.6

Easy

315.5

Camp Creek Trail (leg stretcher through laurel and rhododendron)

.1

Easy

316.4

Linville Falls Trail (view of upper falls)

.8

Moderate

316.4

Linville Gorge Trail (view of lower falls)

.5

Strenuous

316.4

Duggers Creek Trail (loop to view of Duggers Falls)

.25

Easy

316.5

Linville River Bridge Trail (leg stretcher to view of unusual bridge)

.1

Easy

320.8

Chestoa View Trail (30-minute loop to vista)

.6

Easy

339.5

Crabtree Falls Loop Trail (loop to view of falls)

2.5

Strenuous

344.1

Woods Mountain Trail (trail on adjacent U.S. Forest Service lands)

2.0

Moderate

350.4

Lost Cove Ridge Trail (trail on adjacent U.S. Forest Service lands)

.6

Moderate

351.9

Deep Gap Trail (trail on adjacent U.S. Forest Service lands)

.2

Easy

355.0

Bald Knob Ridge Trail (trail on adjacent U.S. Forest Service lands)

.1

Easy

359.8

Big Butt Trail (trail on adjacent U.S. Forest Service lands)

.2

Strenuous

361.2

Glassmine Falls (view of Falls)

.1

Moderate

364.2

Craggy Pinnacle Trail (to panoramic view)

.7

Moderate

364.6

Craggy Gardens Trail (first portion is self-guiding nature trail)

.8

Moderate

374.4

Rattlesnake Lodge Trail (woodland walk)

.5

Moderate

382.0

Mountains-to-Sea Trail (Folk Art Center to Mount Mitchell; spring wildflowers and views; parallels parkway; many accesses to trail segments)

Moderate/Strenuous

384.0

Mountains-to-Sea Trail segment at the NPS Asheville Visitor Center

1.2

Easy/Moderate

393.7

Shut-In Trail/Mountains-to-Sea Trail (Bent Creek-Walnut Cove)

3.1

Strenuous

396.4

Shut-In Trail/Mountains-to-Sea Trail (Walnut Cove-Sleepy Gap)

1.7

Moderate

397.3

Grassy Knob Trail (steep trail to USFS area)

.9

Strenuous

397.3

Shut-In Trail/Mountains-to-Sea Trail (Sleepy Gap-Chestnut Cove)

.7

Moderate

398.3

Shut-In Trail/Mountains-to-Sea Trail (Chestnut Cover-Bent Creek Gap)

2.8

Strenuous

400.3

Shut-In Trail/Mountain-to-Sea Trail (Bent Creek Gap-Beaver Dam Gap)

1.9

Moderate

401.7

Shut-In Trail/Mountains-to-Sea Trail (Beaver Dam Gap-Stoney Bald)

.9

Moderate

402.6

Shut-In Trail/Mountains-to-Sea Trail (Stoney Bald-Big Ridge)

1.2

Strenuous

403.6

Shut-In Trail/Mountains-to-Sea Trail (Big Ridge-Mills River Valley)

1.1

Moderate/Strenuous

404.5

Shut-In Trail/Mountain-to-Sea Trail (Mills River Valley-Elk Pasture Gap)

1.2

Strenuous

405.5

Shut-In Trail/Mountains-to-Sea Trail (Elk Pasture Gap-Mt. Pisgah)

1.7

Strenuous

407.6

Mt. Pisgah Trail (summit view)

1.3

Moderate/Strenuous

407.6

Buck Springs Trail (Pisgah Lodge to view)

1.1

Easy/Moderate

408.5

Frying Pan Mountain Trail

1.1

Moderate/Strenuous

417.0

East Fork Trail (USFS, access to Shining Rock Trail System)

.1

Easy/Moderate

418.8

Graveyard Fields Loop Trail (loop by a stream)

2.3

Moderate

419.4

John Rock Trail (leg stretcher to view)

.1

Easy

422.4

Devil's Courthouse Trail (panoramic summit view)

.4

Moderate/Strenuous

427.6

Bear Pen Gap Trail (access to Mountains-by-the-Sea Trail)

.2

Easy

431.0

Richland Balsam Trail (self-guiding loop through spruce-fir forest)

1.5

Moderate

433.8

Roy Taylor Overlook Trail (paved trail to overlook)

.1

Easy

451.2

Waterrock Knob Trail (summit view)

.6

Moderate/Strenuous

Last updated: October 7, 2019

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199 Hemphill Knob Rd
Asheville, NC 28803

Phone:

828 348-3400

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