Best Hiking Trails in North Carolina
The Smokies, the Blue Ridge, Linville Gorge. Our team's picks for hiking the southern Appalachians — and the right season for each.
North Carolina has the best year-round hiking in the eastern US, and most people underrate it because they've only seen it in summer (humid, buggy, foggy). Owen lives in Asheville and runs Linville Gorge twice a year; Mia spent a fall driving the Blue Ridge Parkway end to end. The honest take: October through May is the season. June–September is cookable.
The Smokies get all the Instagram traffic. The hidden play is Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests further west — same scenery, fraction of the crowds, longer trails.
By region
Great Smoky Mountains NP
Most-visited park in the US — for reason. Charlies Bunion, Alum Cave, Mount LeConte. Spring wildflowers are extraordinary.
Blue Ridge Parkway corridor
Mile-by-mile pull-offs. Graveyard Fields, Black Balsam, Craggy Pinnacle.
Pisgah / Nantahala
Less crowded, more rugged. Linville Gorge is the Eastern Grand Canyon — moderate scrambling required.
Outer Banks
Very different — coastal dune walks, Currituck wild horses, lighthouses. Year-round.
When to go
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Common questions
- When are the rhododendrons blooming?
- Roughly mid-June at lower elevations, late June above 4,500 ft. Roan Highlands is the showstopper.
- Bear safety?
- Smokies has more bears per square mile than anywhere in the country. They're habituated, not aggressive — store food properly, don't feed them.
- Best time for fall colour?
- Last week of October at Mount Mitchell, second week of November at lower elevations. Drive the Blue Ridge.