Marion, North Carolina

This scenic drive is along NC 80 between a small town called Pleasant Gardens and Micaville. It can also be taken in the opposite direction depending on where you are driving from, but the main attraction is Lake Tahoma. Lake Tahoma is a private lake in the Western North Carolina Mountains, but ...

The hike to Tom's Creek Falls is a short but enjoyable hike right off the side of the road. The hike is on a wide and mostly flat gravel road that goes right up to the waterfall and a viewing platform that makes for a perfect place for pictures. This hike is a great hike for families and young ki...

The park has about 15 miles of trails with different levels of difficulties . Hiked the Lake Channel Trail  along the lake with good views of the lake and the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Hiked the Mill's creek trail which is nicely shaded and offers good views of the lake and the Linville Gorge area. ...

Starting from the old store parking area at MP 339.5 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, follow the trail through a meadow past the campground amphitheater. After crossing the paved road to the campground, the trail will come to a T-intersection. Take the trail to the right for the shortest way to the fal...

Start your hike from the Shortoff Mountain Trail off of Wolf Pit Road at the base of Lake James. From the summit there is a small grassy area off a side trail that provided awesome cliff side views of the Gorge and Linville River! You can setup after making the hour and a half trek (maybe just in...

Park at the work center but don't block the gate. Hike around the gate and head up the grassy and gravel road. Once you get to the creek a narrow path leads upstream to the base of the falls.  gps: n35 46.101/ w82 11.713 

Green Knob Lookout Tower is an abandoned fire tower near Mt. Mitchell and located directly off the Blue Ridge Parkway. The tower boasts a full 360-degree, unobstructed view of Mt. Mitchell, Craggy Mountains, Table Rock, Grandfather Mountain, and the Parkway. Unlike most fire towers, this tower is...

Grassy Creek Falls is a beautiful waterfall that lies on private property just north of Little Switzerland's downtown area. The trailhead is easy to find. From Little Switzerland simply go under the Blue Ridge Parkway and the driveway is immediately on the right. You will park at the top of the...

We are pretty notorious for passing up a good campsite but we are learning our lessons. We got a late but interesting start on Pinch-In trail. We climbed down a steep 600+ feet after passing this ledge only to climb right back to it a third of a mile in. If we come up to an awesome spot, we somet...

One of the first things I noticed when researching this hike was the conflicting information regarding finding the trail head, length of the hike, and the hike's correct route. Hopefully, as of September 2017, this report will contain the most up-to-date information currently available. To find t...

Please note, Catawba Falls is temporarily closed. You can learn more about updates at www.fs.usda.gov. This quick and relatively easy hike is located close to Asheville, NC. If you're looking to have the trail to yourself, it can be a little tough. It's best to get there as early as possible or ...

I personally find this trail to be more difficult and have more rewarding views than the Mt. Mitchell summit trail. The Deep Gap Trail starts near the Mount Mitchell summit and heads into a forest of spruce and balsam fir trees. The trail then climbs along the ridgeline to neighboring summits. E...

The Chimneys area is a lesser-known camping destination within the Linville Wilderness. The Chimneys are a series of rock formations that rise above Linville Gorge and provide unobstructed panoramic views of the gorge and surrounding mountains. These rocks sit adjacent to Table Rock which hosts w...

Off of Highway 181, the trailhead is very clearly marked with a large parking lot. Although the trail is fairly short, make sure you have your footing, because the trail does switch back and forth in addition to gaining elevation -- it's pretty steep in some places! It's all worth it when you get...

Starting at the Hawksbill Mountain Trailhead, which is clearly marked start hiking up! The trail starts out with some easy uphill switchbacks and leads you to the first lookout point. Enjoy sometime at the lookout point, but you'll want to keep going for a more incredible view. Keep hiking uphill...

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains is Montreat, North Carolina. Just down the road from Asheville, it neighbors Black Mountain and doesn't disappoint for views. Montreat itself houses a plethora of hiking trails, but the cream of the crop HAS to be Lookout Mountain. After a weekend of checking o...