Moderate Hikes

Bearwallow Mountain Trail

Bearwallow Mountain Trail

Panoramic views make this the perfect picnic hike Pack a lunch and pile in the car: Bearwallow Mountain is the perfect picnic hike from Asheville and close enough to be back to town in time for other afternoon activities. With two trail options … read more

Biltmore Estate Trails

Biltmore Estate Trails

A legendary landscape, a variety of hikes With 8,000 acres of nearly intact Western North Carolina landscape, the grounds at Biltmore are equally as grand as the famed house. The roughly 22 miles of trails here run through meadows with stunning views … read more

Black Balsam Hike on Art Loeb Trail

Black Balsam Hike on Art Loeb Trail

A Blue Ridge Parkway classic, this is a local favorite When you think of views from the Blue Ridge Parkway, chances are these are the kinds of views that come to mind: the unimpeded, long-range vistas from Black Balsam Knob. Surrounded by wilderness, … read more

Cold Mountain Trails

Cold Mountain Trails

A storied peak for experienced hikers Local author Charles Frazier made this 6030-foot-high peak in the Great Balsams famous with his 1997 novel of the same name. The 2000 movie version won the hearts of even more fans. Hikers love it too, but … read more

Craggy Pinnacle Trail

Craggy Pinnacle Trail

Peak views here are postcard-perfect A short, easy-to-access hike through a rhododendron thicket brings you to the pinnacle and 360˚views, glorious sunsets or morning mist on the mountains. This close-to-Asheville hike includes a sampler of … read more

Daniel Ridge Loop Trail

Daniel Ridge Loop Trail

Mountain streams and mountain bikes With so many waterfalls in the Brevard area, Daniel Ridge Falls (a 150-foot cascade on Lanning Branch that’s also called Tom Spring Falls and less frequently, Jackson Falls) is often overlooked. Take … read more

Deep Creek Waterfall Hike

Deep Creek Waterfall Hike

Three wonderful waterfalls on one Great Smoky Mountains National Park hike Deep Creek is one of the most beloved areas in the Smokies, known for offering the opportunity to see three beautiful waterfalls. Take a 5-mile loop hike to see them all or … read more

Devils Courthouse Hike on Blue Ridge Parkway

Devils Courthouse Hike on Blue Ridge Parkway

Intriguing name, spectacular sunsets From the parking area at Devil’s Courthouse Blue Ridge Parkway, you can see your destination above you: an imposing rock outcropping that dares you to climb it. Rise to the challenge: from atop this … read more

Glassy Mountain Trail at the Carl Sandburg Home

Glassy Mountain Trail at the Carl Sandburg Home

Poetic mountain views at a National Historic Site Carl Sandburg, “the People’s Poet” bought his historic home Connemara in 1945. After he died, his wife donated the property to the National Park Service and now this 267-acre … read more

Graveyard Fields Loop Trail

Graveyard Fields Loop Trail

One of Asheville’s favorite hikes, with something for everyone Waterfalls, rhododendron, fall color, summer blueberry picking and high-elevation meadows and forests: there’s a reason just about everyone who hikes near Asheville has been … read more

Hooker Falls, Triple Falls and High Falls Hike

Hooker Falls, Triple Falls and High Falls Hike

One hike, three of the region’s best waterfalls Dupont State Forest is the best place to discover why Brevard and Transylvania County is called “The Land of the Waterfalls.” Get a sampler of some of the area’s wonderful … read more

John Rock Trail

John Rock Trail

A classic Pisgah hike, plus a simple nature trail for kids Pisgah National Forest is a world-class hiking destination. Among the 400+ miles of trails in the Pisgah Ranger District (there are two other districts in the 500,000-acre forest, too), the … read more

Linville Gorge East Rim Trails

Linville Gorge East Rim Trails

Something wild for the advanced hiker Called “the Grand Canyon of the East,” Linville Gorge drops 2,000 feet to the Linville River. Part of the nearly 12,000-acre Linville Gorge Wilderness, this is unspoiled country where rock climbers … read more

Little Cataloochee Trail

Little Cataloochee Trail

Peaceful scenery and dramatic wildlife on this historic Smokies trail For nearly a century, Big and Little Cataloochee valleys in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park were home to generations of farming families. Hike past abandoned (but mostly … read more

Lookout Trail Hike in Montreat

Lookout Trail Hike in Montreat

Popular, easily accessible trail with picnic potential If traveling from downtown Asheville, you can be stepping on the Lookout Trail in Montreat in about 25 minutes and, after a brisk hike, stepping off it under an hour later. Rock outcroppings near … read more

Lunch Rocks Trail

Lunch Rocks Trail

Pack a lunch for this moderate trail off the Blue Ridge Parkway LEAVE NO TRACE TIP Lunch Rocks is a great place to have, you guessed it, lunch! While there are no trash receptacles when you reach the rocks, there are trash cans at the beginning of … read more

Max Patch Trail

Max Patch Trail

Play, picnic or practice yoga on this Appalachian bald Max Patch is a “bald,” the Southern Appalachian name for a hilltop without a single tree. While this mountain isn’t naturally bald (it was cleared for grazing in the … read more

Mount Pisgah Trail

Mount Pisgah Trail

Hike to the top of Asheville's most recognizable mountain peak Mount Pisgah can be seen from many places throughout the Asheville area. In fact, many of Biltmore's windows perfectly frame this iconic peak. Once you reach the summit, … read more

Mountains-To-Sea-Trail at Craven Gap

Mountains-To-Sea-Trail at Craven Gap

A perfect point of departure from the Parkway With thousands of acres of wilderness close to Asheville, where do you start to explore? For an introduction to the splendor of mountain scenery, try Craven Gap off the Blue Ridge Parkway, just 15 minutes … read more

Old Mitchell Trail

Old Mitchell Trail

Visitors to Mount Mitchell State Park can walk in the footsteps of Elisha Mitchell himself, the man credited with discovering the highest peak in the east. This area of the Black Mountains would have been quite wild during Mitchell's treks in … read more