Waynesville, North Carolina

Take Porters Creek Trail, a gravel road alongside Porters Creek. You will pass by an old farmstead and cemetery, as well as lots of wildflowers if you're out during the spring. In a mile, keep left, then in another half mile or so you should cross over a small (and somewhat harrowing) footbridge...

Yellow Mountain Fire Tower features some of the best views, looking out over both the Northern Georgia mountains as well as seeing the flat-lands of South Carolina past the mountain ranges. This hike is pretty well known for its 12-mile round trip trek, starting in Cashiers, NC, however, there's ...

Appalachian Trail: Charlie's Bunion and Kephart Loop is a loop trail that takes you by a waterfall located near Cherokee, North Carolina.

Upon entering High Hampton Inn, follow the entrance road past the registration building, cart shed and parking lot. Take a right down a gravel road that follows alongside Hampton Lake. This gravel road continues for half a mile, even winding through part of the golf course and crossing over the c...

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...

Rainbow Falls is one of the most scenic waterfalls in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains. The Horsepasture River swells in the rainy season, dumping a cascade of water 150 feet. The plume of mist at the bottom creates a distinct rainbow effect, giving the falls its name. Hike to Rainbow Falls ...

At the summit of Mt. LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the lodge sits at a elevation of 6400 feet. It is the only "accommodations" inside the park boundaries. It is the highest lodge in the eastern United States.   Accessible only by hiking one of the five trails to the summit,...

The Alum Cave trailhead is on Newfound Gap Road, 8 miles from the Sugarlands Visitor Center. Mt. LeConte is the third highest peak in the Smokies, and this is an extremely popular hike, so arrive early to get a parking spot and beat the crowds. Starting from the parking lot the trail gently wind...

NC 288 was constructed in the 1920's, but did not last long with the construction of the Fontana Dam as the resulting lake covered the highway. The U.S. government entered an agreement in which they would provide a replacement road, but to this day it has not been completed and is know by locals ...

Hooker Falls is located in Dupont State Forest in southern North Carolina. The hike is a great hike for kids to go on and to have a picnic. The waterfall is a beautiful waterfall that offers a great place to swim. Along the hike there are also other places you can see the river and you can swim a...

Both falls provide ample open, flat rock right up next to the massive falls where you can picnic, take photos, or just lounge in the sun and mist. There are signs saying so, but be sure to be careful near the waters edge below the falls - swimming is not allowed as the current can be very strong....

The Chimney Tops Trail is one of the most visited trails in the Smokies, which is why I recommend going up just before sunset to beat the crowd! During the summer and fall months, it's common to see a hundred people taking in the views on the same trail, but if you scramble on out after hours, y...

This is an overnight loop hike that is built around one night in the back country. It can be done as an ambitious day hike. Be advised that permits are required by the NPS for all overnight stays in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The hike begins at the Clingman's Dome parking lot at the For...

The drive to Clingmans Dome is miles of scenic overlooks that provide endless views of ridges and valleys. Clingmans Dome Road comes to a parking lot from which you follow a .5 mile paved trail to the summit. There are also several trails that start on Clingmans Dome Road. Most notably The Appal...

The trail begins at the Clingmans Dome parking lot, just to the left of the paved walkway up to Clingmans Dome. You will start the hike at an elevation of 6130 feet which is only 334 feet less than Clingmans Dome which is the highest point in The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, and the second...

The first day of the hike is either 12.3 miles or 10.5 miles (depending on the campsite) almost all downhill, and the second half of the loop is 13.3 miles or 11.5 miles, again depending on the campsite, almost exclusively uphill. Just as a reference the first day took us about 6 and a half hours...