The Best of Carolina
This will not be easy to do. I've walked up many trails in southern Appalachia, from High Country in the north to the deep valley gorges of the Nantahala and up the high mountain peaks of the Smokies. For all of the hiking I have done in my home state, it kills be to know that there are places that I haven't been that might have made it on this list. For what it's worth, I would like to share my top 5 hikes in Carolina.
Lou & Wade Boggs Memorial Wilderness, Montreat NC
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| A view from atop Graybeard Mountain |
Just a short drive from Asheville on Old Fort Mountain, the town of Black Mountain sits in the Swannanoa valley with over 7 peaks increasing in elevation to the highest mountain of Greybeard. These peaks are dubbed the "Seven Sisters of Swannanoa" with Greybeard as the "father." Though I never found anything on the origins of the names, references to these peaks can be found throughout the valley in local art and culture. This impressive ridge is accessible via the hiking trails of Montreat, a wealthy community that is also home to Montreat College.
This 10-mile loop allows you to see the very best of the Seven Sisters and Montreat, including incredible mountain top vistas with views of the Black Mountains & Mitchell, mountain streams, a waterfall and walk through the College. The forest here is called the Lou & Wade Boggs Memorial Wilderness, adjacent to the Pisgah Grandfather District.You can pick up a free map at the College. This is an all day hike that must be planned with plenty of daylight, bonus points for eating at "The Trailhead" restaurant and tavern.
Bonas Defeat Gorge, Nantahala National Forest, Canada NC
Though it won't take a day to hike into, a well kept Western Carolina University secret swimming hole features an incredible 120 foot waterfall, cliff jumping opportunities up to 50 feet, and some of the clearest water you will find in the mountains. This impressive waterfall is at nearly the top of the "Bonas Defeat Gorge," a stunningly beautiful canyon with huge boulders and walls that starts at the Wolf Creek Dam and eventually ends in the Panthertown Valley. Brave canyoners can follow the gorge all the way down through a series of rappels over the slippery rocks.
According to local stories, the gorge is named after a dog named Bonas who jump to his death trying to get to the next boulder further down the gorge, hence the name "Bonas Defeat."
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| The highest jump at the falls |
While the hike itself is only about a mile long, you descend nearly 500 feet into the gorge featuring a creek crossing and a few areas with makeshift rappel lines made out of extension cords and rope. And if it rained recently (as it often does in the mountains in the summer) and you better hang on to those ropes.
Outdoor recreation is booming in the western part of this state with the Pisgah National Forest getting more and more popular and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park being the most visited in the country. This amounts to a lot of great investments into our outdoors, but it also means more developed and manicured trails and trailheads. This is not the case at Paradise Falls (and much of the Nantahala that I regrettably have not explored due to distance and time), as the trailhead has no signage, the trail has no blaze and to get here you are generally shown (as I was).
So I won't give a detailed instruction of how to get here, but some google research to those who care enough to try and visit will give you all the information you need. Those who wish to visit this beautiful spot need to make sure they check the dam release schedule before entering.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Fontana Dam NC
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Shuckstack Fire Tower, Shuckstack Mountain, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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Even just glancing at my raised relief map of western North Carolina, the Smokies are an impressive range, much bigger in area than any other in the state (and all of the Appalachians for that matter) by far with many mountains towering at over 6000 feet forming a natural border between North Carolina and Tennessee. Many people don't know that the "smoke" actually comes from the mountain vegetation exhaling volatile organic compounds forming a natural fog around the range.
The Shuckstack Fire Tower can be reached via the Appalachian Trail from the top of Fontana Dam and Fontana Lake. The tower sits atop Shuckstack Mountain next to the remains of an old Fire Marshall's house. Word on the street is this tower is decaying fast (I can vouch for this) and probably does not have very many years left unless a restoration effort is made, which is all the reason more to hike. The hike itself is fairly strenuous as it climbs a significant amount of elevation in the 3.5 miles up to the top. The views, of course, are worth the effort.
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| Fontana Lake at sunset from the Right Loop of the Tsali trail complex, Shuckstack Mountain in the distance |
I love this part of the state for how different it is from the other mountainous regions around Asheville. Bryson City is a nice small town at the base of the Park on the NC side and, while it naturally caters to the crown, is far from the tourist trap that is Cherokee. The trails of the Tsali complex are top-tier for biking, hiking and equestrian. You can flatwater kayak or canoe on beautiful Fontana Lake or head to the Nantahala Outdoor Center is a short drive down 74 into the Nantahala Gorge for your whitewater fix. Since I couldn't have hiked with the dog in the park and it is very far from Charlotte as it is, I did not visit much but later on in life I know I must.
Linville Gorge Wilderness Area, Pisgah National Forest, Morganton NC
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| Clif cooling off in the Linville River |
This was my first adventure down into the Linville Gorge and it is up there for the hardest hikes I have ever completed in a day. This one is not for the casual, the Pitch In trail descends nearly 2,000 feet in about a mile and, though the River Trail is easier on the quads and calves, it presents different challenges in finding your way around the wilderness area with no trail blazes and many spur trails that lead to nowhere. By the time I had made it to the Rock Jock trail, light was growing scarce and I had to book it over very rocky and "technical" hiking before dark encroached on us.
All of this being said, the challenge is always fun and the Linville Gorge is a truly special place. The River Trail travels north following the river with huge boulders, ancient trees, caves, and parts of the trail that drop off significantly making you not want to look down. And why look down when you can look up at the amazingly unique mountain tops of Shortoff, Table Rock, Hawskbill and Sitting Bear? You notice just how alive the Linville Gorge is from the roaring river, birds and other noises of the forest. It is everything you could want from a wilderness area.
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| A view looking up at the Chimneys from the River Trail |
I regret rushing up the Rock Jock, but at the end of the day time always wins and getting stuck in the Linville Gorge at night with no light was not going to happen for me and Fido. The Rock Jock is the longest trail that is entirely on either rim of the Gorge and deserves much more exploring than I gave it on this day, I've heard about many beautiful rock outcroppings and cave just off the beaten path.
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| A view from the Rock Jock trail |
No. 1: Roan Mountain (Appalachian Trail)
Carver's Gap, Pisgah/Cherokee National Forest, Bakersville NC
Roan Mountain is the most unique summit I have ever been too. The 2,200 mile long Appalachian Trail sits atop the ancient monolith and many consider this section in particular to be the most beautiful part of the entire trail. Want to head north? Bring your windbreaker and you've got the longest section of bald mountains on the trail, with endless views of Tennessee, Virginia, and Carolina. Head south? You get rhododendron and hardwood forest in Roan Mountain State Park. All hikes are out and back, so you choose your own adventure and stay out as long as you desire.
It truly does feel like you are in a different part of the country here. Roan Mountain receives a disproportionate amount of snow due to it's elevation and one can cross country ski in the winter. Many have compared it to the Scottish highlands, which is undoubtedly influenced by the early Scotts-Irish settlement of the valleys below.
You can even make an overnight trip at the largest shelter on the A.T. at yellow gap, or the highest A.T. shelter at Roan High Bluff. Talk with thru hikers coming from either direction about their travels as they head either into the Smokies to the south or into Virginia to the north.
There are only great hikes on Roan Mountain. Just make sure your brake pads are up to par for the drive, as Carver's Gap sits at 5,826 ft and don't forget to grab a bite to eat and get cultured in Bakersville afterward.
