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This loop off the Blue Ridge Parkway on the edge of the Shining Rock Wilderness is ideal because it is on the edge of the Shining Rock Wilderness, the big,...

This hike is a high-country favorite. For one, it’s easy and accessible for most folks, even the non-hikers in the crowd (read: something active to do with your more sedentary...

The 88-mile stretch of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along the Blue Ridge Parkway from the Grandfather Mountain area north to Stone Mountain has several memorable stretches. A favorite is this nearly...

Out-of-town visitors are always looking to do “name” adventures — a place the folks back home probably have heard of and would likely be impressed by. Linville Gorge is one...

Like a good stream crossing to cool off in on a summer’s day? Then you’ll love this loop: in the first 8 miles or so there are 16 crossings of...

This is a classic warm-weather water hike, the first mile of which is quite popular. That’s where the trail encounters Harper Creek Falls, which plunges 65 feet into one of...

“Backpacking North Carolina” refers to the 21,000-acre Fires Creek area as “a backpacker’s playground.” For similar reasons, it’s also a hiker’s playground. A 25-mile trail traces the horseshoe-shaped rim of...

When Elk Knob first opened in the mid-2000s, the climb to the summit was straight up a draw littered with boulders. Thanks to more than 6,000 volunteer hours invested over...

This trip has several options. Starting from Longbottom Road at Basin Creek you immediately have three: To the north, Cedar Ridge Trail takes you up to the Parkway near the...

The Cataloochee Valley sits isolated on the northeast end of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, its flat valley floor encircled by ridgeline that gives the feel of an old-time...

This popular 14-mile hike, more frequently done as a two-day backpack trip, is one of the best hikes in the state (to be geopolitically correct, it dribbles over into Tennessee)....

Mount Mitchell, the tallest point east of the Mississippi River, is a must-see spot for NC hikers. While this 6.1 mile loop through the park is challenging due to high...

How do you keep an 18,000-acre state park secret — so secret it doesn’t even show up on Google Maps? Hiding it in a surprisingly open area south of Morganton...

There are several winter camping options at New River State Park, a linear park following its namesake river and known for one thing: paddling. The Wagoner Road Access has 10...

The trails in this section of the Pisgah District of the Pisgah National Forest are open to hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. From here, you can hike up to...

Perhaps you’ve been driving down a gravel road in one of our four fine National Forests — Croatan, Uwharrie, Pisgah, and in the case of Ammons Branch, Nantahala — and...

Located on the southern shores of Lake Joacassee, this would seem the ideal winter getaway for paddlers interested in exploring the the lake’s many fingers. And it is — for...

The Big Ivy Area — “big ivy” is what the locals call mountain laurel — is one of those areas you may have scoped out on a map — the...