Best Hikes in North Carolina

North Carolina's hiking is anchored by the Appalachian Trail corridor, the Blue Ridge Parkway trail system, and the diverse terrain of the Great Smoky Mountains. The state has more hiking trail miles than any other in the Southeast.

Max Patch (2.4 miles)
A bald summit at 4,629 feet on the Appalachian Trail, accessible via a short trail from Max Patch Road. The treeless dome offers 360-degree views of the Great Smokies, Black Mountains, and Pisgah National Forest — one of the most accessible panoramic views in North Carolina. Sunrise and sunset visits are extraordinary; the meadow is covered in wildflowers from May through July.

Black Balsam Knob (Art Loeb Trail, 4.4 miles)
From the Black Balsam Knob parking area on the Blue Ridge Parkway, this trail traverses open bald summits above 6,000 feet through a landscape that looks more like Scotland than the American South. Three 6,000-foot summits in one hike.

Graveyard Fields Loop (3.2 miles)
One of the most-visited spots on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Graveyard Fields basin has two waterfalls (Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls) set among heath barrens and bog terrain. The loop trail is straightforward; the upper waterfall (60 ft) is the more impressive.

Linville Gorge: Linville Falls Trail and Gorge
Linville Falls drops 90 feet into the deepest gorge in the eastern US. Multiple overlook trails from the visitor center take in views of both the upper and lower falls from different angles. The gorge itself (accessible from below via the Erwin's View and other trails) is a dramatic chasm of quartzite walls.

Chimney Rock State Park
The 315-foot granite monolith rising above Hickory Nut Gorge (where scenes from Last of the Mohicans were filmed) has an elevator to the viewing level and stair trails to the top. The gorge trail leads to Hickory Nut Falls (404 ft) — one of the tallest waterfalls in the East.