Asheville-native here, but haven’t lived there for over 20 years. I’ll be seeing family for Easter this weekend, and would like to take advantage of the pleasant weather forecast by getting outdoors with my parents. My mother is recently wheelchair-bound after a stroke, and I’m hoping the outdoors might help alleviate some of the depression that comes with accepting her new situation. Does anyone know of any well-paved, smooth trails in or around Asheville that would be wheelchair-accessible?

I've hiked there a few times on weekdays, but am hoping to camp in the next month or so. Are the trails/dispersed (car) camping spots super busy right now on the weekends, or should I hold out for good weather during the week? We prefer to escape humanity as much as possible on our little trips. :)

Also if anyone has any tips on areas to start looking for a good campsite and/or especially good areas for rockhounding, I'd love to hear it (DM is cool if you're trying to keep it on the DL).

Hey everyone. First time posting here. My family and I are making a drive from Atlanta to Asheville in a few weeks. Are there any trails you’d recommend that would be baby stroller friendly (we have 2 under 2)? Thanks in advance.

I'll be hiking the Babel Tower Trail and some others in the area of Linville this weekend. I'll be staying over there for 4 days and I'm wondering if y'all have any tips for good places to sleep and what to expect. I'm no stranger to long/heavy hikes, but I haven't been to the western parts of NC at all

Doing the linville gorge loop. We are doing a modified loop and was told we are going through a pretty rugged section. Can I justify bringing a machete? But also part of me wants to to bring a machete just for the fun of it to chop wood. Any advice is appreciated

Nothing too long. In the 1-4 hour range.

My husband and I are planning on camping fri-sun in Linville in the next few weeks. My plan is to car camp off of old NC 105 Friday night, and then attempt a short hike in to one of the campsites in the gorge on Saturday, set up a basecamp and do some hiking, and then spend Sat night there. We will be taking our 1 year old with us, who has gone camping multiple times starting at 8 weeks old and loves it. My questions are: 1.) considering how popular this area is, should I be concerned about not getting a car camping spot Friday night? We will be going in early April. 2.) Recommendations for camping spots? My husband and I have done a lot of car camping before but haven't yet done hike in camping. I've looked at the Avenza map and it looks like there are lots of campsites within 1.5mi from parking, but I don't have a good sense of how difficult they actually are to hike to. 3.) 3-6mi hike recommendations near said camping that are doable while toting a 25lb 1 year old around in a baby carrier?

ETA: for context, we've hiked in Linville with our baby before but haven't explored beyond the upper/lower falls. We're both in good shape (I'm not as fit as my husband but carried my baby for the majority of a 8mi hike with 1200ft elevation gain the other week and felt great). If people really don't think there aren't any other safe hikes to do while carrying 25lbs without falling then I suppose we can do the same hike we've done in the area before since I've done that carrying my baby as an infant before.

ETA 2: It sounds like table rock and is the hike that best matches what I'm looking for. On Avenza it looks like there are 4 campsites within a mile of the parking lot. If all of those are taken by the time I get there, how rocky/uneven is the ground that it would be difficult to find an alternative camping spot? If those 4 spots are the only places possible close to the parking lot to pitch a tent then I will just plan on car camping off of 105 and then driving to the trailhead.

Some friends and I are planning to backpack Linville Gorge over 3 nights in a month or so. We have a long drive, and will probably be arriving late-ish on the evening before we hit the trail.

Is it doable to just arrive at the trailhead the night before and sleep there? We had the Hawksbill TH parking lot in mind. I would be sleeping in my car, though my friends may need to head into the trees to pitch a tent. I've done this at other trailheads, but you never know. I can't even find any photos of this parking lot, so it's hard to judge.

This would be on a Thursday.

I want to head out to Wilson creek this weekend. Looking for 8-15 miles. Any recommendations?

I want to take my partner on an overnight trip in Grayson Highlands to see some wild ponies but we want to car camp. Any recommended locations in the area for car camping? It seems like most of it is permitted.

Trying to do NOBO Art Loeb trail. It says it's a 20 min drive from the airport.

Are there ubers / private shuttles? Do we need to rent a car and pay for transfer between sites as well? How about returning back to Asheville after we are done?

All the transfer shuttles I see are from campground to campground.

Thank you.

I’ll either go on Dutchman’s creek or I’ll just park at 109 and go to the jumping off rock lot and back (~16 miles).

I’m also open to suggestions.

I will connect either trail to the Grandfather trail, but I'm trying to decide between the Daniel Boone Scout trail vs the Profile trail. I am an avid, fit hiker, so I'm not too concerned about difficulty: I just want to know which trail will give me the best experience for my first time hiking Grandfather!

These trails all look great, and I can't decide! Has anyone done all/some of them? Looking for a trail option for a 3-night trip. We're totally down for strenuous trails, big gains, whatever. Highest priority is good views, decent campsites and weather conditions.

Roan Highlands: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/tennessee/hughes-gap-to-us-19e-at?sh=fp4jup

Linville Gorge loop: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/north-carolina/linville-gorge-loop--2?sh=fp4jup

Art Loeb Trail: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/north-carolina/art-loeb-trail-north-to-south?sh=n0oq17

Not in NC, but also considering the Virginia Triple Crown: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/virginia/virginias-triple-crown-loop?sh=fp4jup

I have a trip coming up in a few weeks and was curious what areas were affected by the controlled burn. I can't find a map of what areas and I'm hoping for some recent trail reports. Thanks!

wondering which FSRs out there are known to have cell service. in the WNC zone. like south toe, nantahala, linville, much of pisgah, etc. all seem to be complete dead zones as soon as you drop to a FSR.

this isnt a "man i really need to scroll tiktok at the campfire" type ask. just wondering if there are dispersed camping zones known to have service so that i can be connected with the world in case of emergency, etc. outside of having a sat phone (yes i tell people where im going but would like a little bit of human connection)

but it seems to be a situation where the best places have absolutely ZERO service. not just bad, but absolute zero. nice little realization / lesson there.

I’m looking to do my first solo trip but don’t wanna get too crazy yet. Are there any nice trails only a few miles long that allow primitive camping, in places that aren’t super crowded?

Experienced backpacker, new ish to the area. I live in southeastern VA which means minimum 4 hour drive to any mountains in state. I can get to the Raleigh area in 3ish hours.

Looking for an overnight backpack for a training trip, elevation gain would be nice but don't need to sleep at elevation. Ideally within the next 2 weeks or so.

Would love to bring my dog with me but it'd be his first backpack. Little hesitant on Grayson due to bears and ponies.

Thanks for the suggestions. It's near hard to search for north/northern in a NC sub.

Hi all,

I am looking at hiking the Art Loeb trail soon as an overnight trip. I am wondering about Deep Gap shelter--does anyone know if it has been rebuilt and if there is reliable water here?

Does anyone know anything about the “Commissary Hill” backcountry campsite?

So, I was thinking about heading up Mount Mitchell for a hike and came across this campsite called "Commissary Hill" on the ALLTrails map. I found out about this trail that stops by the site. It might help someone remember it: [ https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/north-carolina/mount-mitchell-and-higgins-bald-loop-trail ]

I tried digging up some more info but hit a bit of a wall. Only found this one link with a mention and a photo: [ https://www.hikewnc.info/gallery/camp-alice-commissary-hike/2021-07-24_mount-mitchell-state-park_commissary-hill-flat-campsite ]

Does anyone have any information about this site?

Is it a first-come, first-served situation, or would I need to contact Mount Mitchell Park Services to arrange it?

I would really appreciate any info or personal takes on the site. Thanks a bunch!

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Hey r/NCTrails community,

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I'm reaching out for a bit of advice and some suggestions. I've been planning to tackle the ITAYG Loop in Linville Gorge next week for a 4-day, 3-night backpacking trip. However, I've hit a bit of a snag. The current CFS levels of the Linville River are higher than the recommended flow for safe crossing, and unless they drop significantly in the next few days, I'll need to come up with a Plan B.

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Given this, I'm on the hunt for an alternative route that can offer a similar level of challenge and adventure. I'm particularly interested in trails that feature difficult terrain, as I'm in the midst of conditioning for the Bartram Trail, which I'll be embarking on next month. My goal is to maintain a 4-day, 3-night schedule, which I feel is optimal for my preparation.

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Does anyone have any recommendations for trails that could fit the bill? Ideally, I'm looking for something that can offer a mix of rugged terrain, scenic views, and perhaps a bit of solitude. I'm fully equipped and have a fair bit of experience under my belt, so I'm open to more adventurous suggestions.

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Thanks in advance for any input you might have!

Recently I’ve been taking my kids out on a lot of hikes, visiting caverns, and what not and my oldest one talk about how some things places see like they must have real magic in them. As an adult I’m often in awe of nature or see cool things, but hearing it through the kid's perspective made me reflect on places in nature I went as a kid that made me feel that way.

So I’m just curious to hear, what hikes or trails or whatever have you all been to that felt really magical?

Hello!

I'm relatively new to nc and would really love to have a camping trip for Memorial day (I know, super original). I usually prefer dispersed/primitive camping rather than campgrounds. I was hoping to get a little help looking into areas that might not be super busy during Memorial day weekend. I'm sure it's a big ask since a lot of people want to also spend time outside for the holiday, but any info is appreciated. Thanks!

I'm taking my middle school class (12-13 years old) on a trip in April. We'll be camping in the Nantahala Valley, and I wanted to have 1-2 hikes to take them on. Our camp will be near Bryson City. We have a day or so to fill with activities so a little driving isn't necessarily a deal breaker.

We have about 20 students and 5 adults, so a trail that could accommodate our group split into 2 would be ideal. Would prefer something that takes an hour or so to complete. Bonus points for water features and restrooms at the trailhead. Thanks in advance for suggestions!

Staying here for couple days, thinking somewhere between 8-10 miles, moderate hike with views. I haven’t done babel tower yet or seen Crabtree falls ( although I know it’s shorter) Any other favorites in the area are appreciated!

Overlanding seems kinda of cool. I’ve never done it before, pretty much just a backpacker. But what I’m imagining is driving my truck out to a point and being on foot, I imagine I’d set up camp at my truck.

Is there anyplace in this state where I can do that? And in terms of overlanding, even if my idea doesn’t pan out, I’d still like to try it.

I have 3-4 days to hike and I’ve been eyeing the foothills trail for a while now. Anyone ever do half of it? What’s a good place to park the car halfway?

I've been researching trips and was surprised to find comments about the Green Mountain Trail in the Middle Prong Wilderness being one of the hardest in the state. But the comments also said it definitely isn't THE hardest. What do you think?