Maggie Valley, North Carolina

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...

The road to get to this waterfall is right off of NC 215 which comes right off of the Blue Ridge Parkway and is only about 3 miles away from parkway. The parking area is very small and does not offer many parking spots but since it is not that popular of an area parking is usually not a problem. ...

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...

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...

This is one of my favorite quick "getaway" loops in the Pisgah Ranger District. Turn onto Black Balsam Knob Road (Mile Marker 420 on the Blue Ridge Parkway) go until you reach a dead end and park at the parking lot. You'll see the Sam Knob trail to the right of the public bathrooms. From there, i...

Park at the Lot at the end of Black Balsam road, and start your morning in the dark, down the old dirt road at the end of the lot. Take this road until you get to Ivestor Gap and make a right onto the Art Loeb, try and time it so the sun is just about to rise here. Hike or trail run The Art Loeb ...

The Slab and Eternity hole, located on the East Fork of the Tuckasegee River, are two of Western, NC's best play spots for kayakers of all levels. Paddle down only yards from the public boat launch to The Slab where you can perfect your surfing in kayak, SUP, or whatever boat you float. A few hun...

The parking area for Black Balsam Knob is at mile marker 420.2 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's free to hike here. Take the Art Loeb Trail a half mile until you reach the knob. Along the way you will be walking almost entirely on the bald which is a very pleasant experience. You feel like you're ...

The Devil's Courthouse Overlook and Trail can be one of the best places to see the entire Blue Ridge countryside. Even though it is a short hike, there is a fairly steep incline halfway through, so be prepared to huff and puff a little. It takes anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes depending upon your ...

The drive to this waterfall can be a little muddy when there is a lot of rain and can need an AWD or 4WD in the rain. The road has some new gravel laid in parts so it could be improved in a few months. In the summer there is also a chance of seeing large dump trucks and logging trucks, but the ro...

Cedar Cliff Rock is one of those local places that exemplifies the Blue Ridge mountains oh-so-well. From the top you can see the Tuckaseegee River along with both Cedar Cliff and Bear Creek Reservoirs. While there are a few homes in between, much of the view is untouched, allowing a big mountain ...

The Cowee Bald Fire Tower is located in the Nantahala National Forest near Bryson City North Carolina. To get there you can either drive almost all the way to the top about .2 miles from the top but to get there you will need to have a 4WD or a higher clearance vehicle to cross a small stream. Ho...

There are several ways to access the Shining Rock Wilderness Area, but go for the main trail head off of Hwy 276. The trail is split by the Pigeon River, providing a seemingly infinite combinations of trails and routes, keeping in mind that this area intersects often with the well known Art Lobe ...

We began this trip by camping overnight in Graveyard Fields. Those camp sites are .5 miles from the car, so we kept our food there over night. Bear activity has increased, so it's strongly advised to bring a bear canister and be wise about food storage. We woke up early the next morning made bre...

This is a ~36 mile loop that goes up Clingman's Dome (the tallest point in Tennessee). Pretty challenging, not for the novice backpacker. Park at Deep Creek campground in Bryson City, NC. We did it as a 3-day, 2-night camping at sites 53 and 61. As it is a loop it could easily be done in reverse....

From the Deep Creek Trailhead, you can hike to both waterfalls heading up the Deep Creek Trail. You will come across Tom Branch Falls quickly, after 0.2 miles. Once you've had your fill of Tom Branch, head further along the Deep Creek Trail for another 0.5 miles. Turn right on the Indian Creek Tr...