NC · Southeast
8 forest guides within driving distance
North Carolina's smallest national forest: 51,000 acres of ancient Uwharrie Mountains, the oldest mountain range in North America, with gold rush history, lake recreation, and a designated wilderness.
7 min read
Cherokee National Forest flanks Great Smoky Mountains National Park across 655,000 acres of Tennessee's Blue Ridge and Unaka Mountains, offering waterfalls, high-country meadows, and some of the best trout fishing in the South.
7 min read
Complete guide to Pisgah National Forest in western North Carolina. Trail recommendations, campgrounds, waterfalls, Blue Ridge Parkway access, and trip planning resources.
13 min read
371,000 acres across three South Carolina districts, from the Piedmont hills of the Andrew Pickens District to the coastal plain Long Cane and Enoree Districts, with Chattooga Wild and Scenic River, waterfalls, and Appalachian foothills hiking.
7 min read
Jefferson National Forest spans the Virginia and West Virginia Appalachians, anchored by Mount Rogers, Virginia's highest peak, and the Appalachian Trail's finest southern Virginia miles.
5 min read
North Carolina's Nantahala National Forest is the most visited national forest in the Eastern United States. Over 531,000 acres of Southern Appalachian terrain host the Appalachian Trail, old-growth Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, and some of the highest waterfalls in the East.
7 min read
Francis Marion National Forest covers 259,000 acres of South Carolina's Lowcountry, preserving longleaf pine savannas, blackwater swamps, and Carolina bays between Charleston and the Atlantic Coast.
6 min read
Complete guide to Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests in Georgia. Trail recommendations, campgrounds, waterfalls, Appalachian Trail access, and trip planning resources.
15 min read
A 6.8-mile loop around the western shores of Badin Lake in Uwharrie National Forest, combining lake views, mixed pine-hardwood forest, and shoreline access.
3 min read
A 4-mile easy-moderate loop in Uwharrie National Forest near Badin Lake, passing through mixed pine-hardwood forest popular with hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians.
3 min read
An 8-mile loop through North Carolina's only Piedmont wilderness area in Uwharrie National Forest, exploring creek hollows and hardwood-lined ridges in a setting that feels surprisingly remote.
3 min read
A 1.5-mile easy interpretive loop near the Uwharrie Ranger District office in North Carolina, exploring creek-bottom bottomland forest with wildlife viewing and educational signage.
3 min read
A 5.3-mile out-and-back trail following Hannahs Creek through one of Uwharrie National Forest's most scenic hardwood hollows, with spring wildflower displays and reliable creek flow.
3 min read
A 7-mile out-and-back section of the Uwharrie National Recreation Trail exploring the northern ridges of Uwharrie National Forest, with views over the Piedmont and classic ancient-mountain terrain.
3 min read
A 20.5-mile point-to-point trail running the full length of Uwharrie National Forest in North Carolina, crossing hardwood ridges, creek hollows, and old farm fields returning to forest.
4 min read
A 10.5-mile challenging loop in Uwharrie National Forest crossing multiple ridges of the ancient Uwharrie Mountains with the most sustained elevation change of any trail in the forest.
3 min read
An 8-mile section of the Palmetto Trail through Sumter National Forest's Enoree District, covering rolling Piedmont terrain with pine and hardwood forest and good birding.
3 min read
The Roan Mountain Highlands Trail follows the Appalachian Trail across the open balds and rhododendron gardens of the Roan Mountain massif for 8.0 miles out and back, with expansive views into multiple states.
4 min read
This 6.8-mile out-and-back section of the Appalachian Trail through Laurel Fork Gorge passes Laurel Fork Falls before climbing into old-growth forest, one of the most dramatic AT sections in Tennessee.
3 min read
The Pond Mountain Wilderness Loop is a 7.0-mile circuit through one of Cherokee National Forest's two designated wilderness areas, combining ridge walking and creek drainages in the northern unit.
3 min read
A 6-mile out-and-back in Sumter National Forest's Long Cane District, following a Piedmont creek through hardwood forest with wildflowers, songbirds, and a different character from the foothills.
3 min read
Hike the Grayson Highlands Loop in Jefferson National Forest, Virginia. This moderate-hard 9.2-mile loop circles the Virginia high country with panoramic views, wild ponies, and wildflowers.
3 min read
Hike the Appalachian Trail through Grayson Highlands in Jefferson National Forest, Virginia. This moderate 7.6-mile out-and-back crosses open balds with views, wildflowers, and wild ponies.
3 min read
A 4.2-mile out-and-back to the second-highest peak in Virginia via the Lewis Fork Trail in George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, with above-treeline views into Tennessee and North Carolina.
7 min read
Climb Mount Rogers in Jefferson National Forest, Virginia. This strenuous 8.4-mile out-and-back reaches the highest point in Virginia at 5,729 feet through spruce-fir forest and open balds.
3 min read
Guide to Moore Cove Falls in Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina. A 1.4-mile out-and-back through a flat forest cove to a 50-foot waterfall you can walk behind, near Brevard, NC.
8 min read
Guide to the Looking Glass Rock Trail in Pisgah National Forest. A challenging 6.2-mile out-and-back hike to the summit of one of the most iconic peaks in the southern Appalachians.
8 min read
Hike the Creasy Creek Gorge Trail in Jefferson National Forest, Virginia. This moderate-hard 7.0-mile out-and-back explores a dramatic gorge with waterfalls and river views in the southern Virginia mountains.
3 min read
Guide to the Graveyard Fields Loop off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Pisgah National Forest. A 3.2-mile loop through a unique high-altitude valley with two waterfalls and exceptional fall color.
10 min read
Guide to the Shining Rock hike via the Art Loeb Trail in Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina. A 7.6-mile out-and-back to a white quartz outcropping at 5,940 feet.
6 min read
Guide to Black Balsam Knob in Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina. A 3.5-mile out-and-back on the Art Loeb Trail to an open Appalachian bald at 6,214 feet with 360-degree views over the Southern Appalachian high country.
7 min read
A 4.0-mile out-and-back through old-growth forest in Pisgah National Forest to a 45-foot waterfall on Courthouse Creek, one of the quieter cascades in western North Carolina.
7 min read