Hiking North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains

72 Great Day Hikes in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Western North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains are some of the oldest on earth. Rich in national and state parks, national forest, and other public lands, they boast thousands of miles of designated hiking trails along pristine streams, through old-growth forests, and over ancient heath balds with stunning views. This guide includes 72 great day hikes ranging from 1 to 13 miles, with destinations like the stone tower of Hanging Rock State Park; Max Patch bald on the Appalachian Trail, the “Opera Box” at Chimney Rock; the Blue Ridge Parkway's Craggy Gardens; the waterfalls of Linville Gorge; Morganton's Catawba River Greenway; Alum Cave Bluffs in Great Smoky Mountains National Park; and Bat Cave, the largest granite fissure cave in North America. Each hike entry includes maps, complete directions for hiking and getting to the trailhead, elevation gain, trail highlights, and related historical anecdotes, plus books and films set in each locale.

Danielle "Danny" Bernstein has been hiking all her life. An Appalachian Trail end-to-ender, she leads hikes in the Carolina mountains and writes about the outdoors from her home in Asheville, NC.