Hot Springs, North Carolina

Top Spots in and near Hot Springs

138 Silver Mine Road, North Carolina
Hike the Lovers Leap Loop Trail

5.0

1.8 mi / 472 ft gain

Lovers Leap Loop trail is a 1.8 mile loop in Hot Springs, NC. The address of the trailhead is 138 Silver Mine Rd, Hot Springs, NC 28743. Once you arrive at the parking lot, you will see a trail leading up into the mountain with a post next to it. This is where you want to begin. It is part of the...
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Hot Springs, North Carolina
Camp at Rich Mountain Fire Tower

5.0

Rich Mountain fire tower is located in the Cherokee National Forest just outside of Hot springs North Carolina. Getting there is pretty easy once you get off of US 25W you drive up a gravel road for about 5 miles until you get to the tower. Once you get to the top its about a 100 foot walk until ...
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Del Rio, Tennessee
Max Patch to Hot Springs, N.C. via Appalachian Trail

3.0

14.06 mi / 2966 ft gain

Make a weekend trip from Max Patch to Hot Springs N.C., and be sure to soak in the natural hot springs at the old inn after your hike! This is an incredible, relatively easy hike with the reward at the end being hot springs on the French Broad River. You can break this up however you like, this i...
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Del Rio, Tennessee
Camp at Meadow Creek Fire Tower

5.0

Meadow Creek Fire Tower is a great place to spend an afternoon watching the sunset or spend the night gazing at the stars. You can bring a blanket then lay out on the top of the tower and view the entire sky. The tower itself was made back in the early 1920's. Over the years it changed appearance...
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Del Rio, Tennessee
Max Patch Mountain

5.0

1.51 mi / 315 ft gain

Max Patch Mountain was once cleared for pasture land, leaving an expansive flat summit that now serves as the ideal location for a picnic hike, flying a kite, or laying in the sun surrounded by the Great Smoky Mountains. With little elevation gain and a short distance it is also very family (and ...
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Marshall, Tennessee
Appalachian Trail: Jones Meadow to Jerry Cabin Shelter

7.58 mi / 909 ft gain

Appalachian Trail: Jones Meadow to Jerry Cabin Shelter is an out-and-back trail that provides a good opportunity to view wildlife located near Greeneville, Tennessee.
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Clyde, North Carolina
Hike to Little Fall Branch falls

0.3 mi / 300 ft gain

The trailhead to this hike is easy to find but the gps is hard to match so it might try to take you through the middle of the trees but its easy to follow the road. The best way to get here is to go off of I-40 at the Harmon Den exit and then go up the road towards Max Patch. To get to the trailh...
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Greeneville, Tennessee
Hike to Margarette Falls

5.0

2.7 mi / 715 ft gain

To reach the trail head, take exit number 39 to Erwin/Jonesborough and turn onto State Route 81/107 west and stay on this for 6.5 miles. Then you will turn left to stay on Route 107 and continue on for 16 more miles. Then you will take a left on Route 351 and drive 4.5 miles. Then you will take a...
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Clyde, North Carolina
Photograph the Smokies from Buzzards Roost

This is an awesome place to check out if you are driving Interstate 40 or if you are visiting the area for awhile. The access point for Buzzards Roost is located on the same exit as the well known Max Patch Mountain, just in the other direction. Once off the exit, you will travel down a gravel Fo...
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Newport, Tennessee
Explore Halls Top Fire Tower

3.8

1 mi / 200 ft gain

Halls Top Fire Tower is a special untouched spot in the Cherokee National Forest. The road that leads you into the CNF is known as Halls Top Road just a few miles off of Interstate I-40. This road will take you 4.4 miles to the next turn onto Stone Mountain Road this road is 2.1 miles to the gat...
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Hartford, Tennessee
Whitewater Rafting the Pigeon River

5.0

The Pigeon River is a dam controlled river that winds its way through North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee just outside Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The river provides beautiful views as one paddles along via raft or kayak. Cutting through portions of the Pisgah and Cherokee National For...
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Newport, North Carolina
Hike to Mouse Creek Falls

5.0

4.2 mi / 605 ft gain

Follow Big Creek Trail on a moderate climb to this 45-foot waterfall. Around 1.3 miles in, you will begin to hike alongside Big Creek, and shortly afterwards you will pass Midnight Hole, a particularly deep pool. There are a number of other small falls en route. In spring you should see a number ...
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Newport, North Carolina
Hike to Mt. Sterling's Fire Tower

4.0

12 mi / 4200 ft gain

On your way in, stop at the ranger station parking lot to use the outhouses and grab a map for $1. Once at the Baxter Creek trailhead you have two options: 1. The Out and Back (12.2 miles) 2. The Loop (17 miles)Out and Back: Start on the Baxter Creek Trail and continue up for 6.1 miles until you...
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Waynesville, North Carolina
Explore Cataloochee Valley

5.0

History, solitude and wildlife abound in this quiet corner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but getting here is not easy. Take the scenic route via Cove Creek Road from Cosby, TN. Drive 40 miles along the twisting, gravel road to Cataloochee, NC. The scenery along the way is outstanding, b...
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Cosby, Tennessee
Hike to the Mount Cammerer Lookout Tower

4.5

10.99 mi / 3040 ft gain

Most visitors have a vision of how they'd like to see Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and it typically involves climbing to the top of a mountain like 4,928-foot Mount Cammerer. This is a very strenuous hike involving a breathtaking amount of elevation gain along the rugged Low Gap and Appal...
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Cosby, Tennessee
Hike to Hen Wallow Falls in Great Smoky Mountains NP

5.0

4.57 mi

Start your adventure by parking in the Cosby Picnic Area Parking Lot near the entrance of the Cosby Campground. (127 Cosby Picnic Area Rd, Cosby, TN 37722.) Then backtrack through the parking lot about 100 yards until you see the sign marking the start of Gabes Mountain Trail. The trek to Hen W...
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