Adventure ahead! These Asheville-area hiking trails climb some moderate elevations and span middle distances, exploring some of western North Carolina’s most beautiful, scenic landscapes.
Hike the Appalachian Trail at Max Patch, one of North Carolina’s most popular AT hikes, on a grassy, bald mountain that’s covered in wildflowers. Catch a gorgeous sunrise, sunset or afternoon picnic on this moderate two mile loop with stunning 360-degree views and seemingly endless sunshine.
Hike to the towering 150-foot Rainbow Falls, Turtleback Falls and Drift Falls through a wildflower-filled forest in North Carolina’s Gorges State Park.
Hike to the view-packed Black Balsam Knob summit on the Art Loeb Trail, exploring a grassy, wildflower-covered mountain with 360-degree vistas, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway south of Asheville.
Hike the Tanawha Trail at Rough Ridge, a rocky, angular precipice that offers exceptional summit views of Grandfather Mountain and the Linn Cove Viaduct, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Boone, NC.
Hike the Appalachian Trail to Siler Bald near Franklin, NC, and score some exceptional, 360-degree views from a sun-drenched, grassy summit.
Hike the Linville Falls Plunge Basin Trail to stunning waterfall views, trekking to the base of the falls on the floor of Linville Gorge. It’s one of the undisputedly best, most beautiful waterfall trails on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville.
Follow this Graveyard Fields hike to stunning waterfalls, through fields of wildflowers and wild blueberries, and to beautiful views just off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville.
Hike the Crabtree Falls Trail to one of North Carolina’s most beautiful waterfalls, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway north of Asheville.
Hike the Trillium Gap Trail to the walk-behind waterfall at Grotto Falls, one of the most sought-after waterfalls in the Smoky Mountains.
Hike the Abrams Falls Trail to one of the finest waterfalls in the Smoky Mountains, located several miles from the rolling pastures of Cades Cove.
