Explorer's Guide 50 Hikes in the Mountains of North Carolina Walks and Hikes from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Great Smokies

by Williams, Robert L.; Williams, Elizabeth W.; Williams, Robert L., III

• ISBN13: 9780881504491
• ISBN10: 0881504491
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-02-17
• Publisher: Countryman Press

Summary

The Great Smokies and Blue Ridge mountains are the most visited natural areas in the United States. The mountain ranges of North Carolina--from the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains to the southern foothills--offer an abundant variety of terrain, scenery, and wildlife to those who explore them. Distinguished by steep gorges, spectacular waterfalls, lush forests of rhododendron and laurel, and the blue haze that hangs over distant views, North Carolina's mountains are a popular hiking destination in every season of the year. The authors of this guide have explored more than 350 miles of trails through the mountains of their home state to choose 50 of their favorite day hikes, ranging from 1 to 15 miles. The hikes vary in difficulty and offer something for hikers of all abilities. Many trails are conveniently accessed from the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, and several are handicapped-accessible. Each hike description includes directions to the trailhead, hiking distance, and estimated hiking time; detailed trail descriptions, safety precautions, and topographical maps; options for longer and shorter hikes on adjacent trails; and folk stories, historical anecdotes, and natural history information.

Table of Contents

Introduction	13	(8)
I. THE FOOTHILLS
Crowders Mountain Trail and Rocktop Trail	21	(3)
Reed Gold Mine	24	(4)
Alder Trail	28	(4)
Lakeshore Trail	32	(5)
The South Mountains: A Sampler	37	(5)
Skyline Trail and Cliff Trail	42	(5)
Broad River Greenway	47	(5)
II. ``THE MOUNTAINS AWAY FROM THE MOUTAINS''
Pilot Mountain State Park: Corridor Trail	52	(5)
Pilot Mountain	57	(6)
Hanging Rock State Park	63	(4)
Hanging Rock State Park: Indian Creek Trail	67	(3)
Stone Mountain Trail	70	(4)
Stone Mountain Middle and Lower Falls Trail	74	(6)
III. BLUE RIDGE AREA
Basin Creek Trail	80	(4)
Bluff Mountain Trail	84	(5)
Boone Fork Loop Trail	89	(4)
Price Lake Loop Trail	93	(4)
Richland Balsam Trail	97	(3)
Moses Cone Memorial Park Trails	100	(4)
Crabtree Falls Loop Trail	104	(3)
Craggy Gardens Trails	107	(3)
Green Knob Trail	110	(4)
E. B. Jeffress Park Trails	114	(4)
Tanawha Trail	118	(5)
Grandfather Trail and Daniel Boone Scout Trail	123	(5)
Graveyard Fields Waterfalls Trail	128	(4)
Mount Jefferson and New River Trails	132	(5)
Ivestor Gap Trail	137	(4)
Devil's Courthouse Trail	141	(3)
Erwins View and Dugger's Creek Loop Trails	144	(5)
Linville Gorge Waterfall Trail and Plunge Basin Overlook Trail	149	(5)
Linville Gorge Trails	154	(6)
Upper Creek Trail and Greentown Trail	160	(4)
Upper Creek Falls Trail	164	(4)
Lost Cove Trail	168	(5)
Table Rock Summit Trail	173	(5)
Mount Mitchell Trail	178	(5)
Deep Gap Trail	183	(4)
Lake James State Park Trails	187	(5)
Cloudland Trail	192	(4)
Appalachian Trail Sampler	196	(6)
IV. SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS
Buck Spring Trail	202	(4)
Whiteside Mountain Summit Trail	206	(4)
Mount Pisgah Trail	210	(5)
Whitewater Falls Trails	215	(4)
Horsepasture Waterfalls Trail	219	(5)
V. THE GREAT SMOKIES
Clingman's Dome and Silers Bald Trails	224	(5)
Chasteen Creek Trail and Hughes Ridge Trail	229	(4)
Smokemont Nature Trail and Pioneer Farm Trail	233	(4)
Smokemont Loop	237	(4)
Suggested Books for Further Reading	241	(2)
Index	243