Forest Trails

Long distance trails cross every national forest, providing many miles of trails for hikers and backpackers. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail (AT) follows the mountain crest from Maine to Georgia with over 200 miles through Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests. Open to foot travel only, the AT is blazed in white rectangles and boasts a chain of shelters spaced from 8 to 12 miles apart. Detailed guidebooks for the AT are available at district offices or from the Appalachian Trail Conference, P.O. Box 807, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425-0807. For more information, call toll-free (888) AT-STORE (287-8673) or visit the web page at www.atconf.org.

The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail covers 220 miles from Abingdon, VA, over the mountains of North Carolina in Pisgah National Forest to Kings Mountain National Military Park in South Carolina. Much of this trail follows paved highways as it traces the route of the Patriot army that decisively defeated the Loyalists in the battle at Kings Mountain during the American Revolution.

About 216 miles of the Mountains-to-the-Sea Trail cross the mountainous national forests from Blowing Rock on the Blue Ridge Parkway south to Balsam Gap, where the parkway crosses U.S. 19 north of Sylva. The trail heads east with the goal of reaching the coast, but the route is not yet complete. It is blazed in white dots.

The Bartram Trail is a national recreation trail that travels across the mountains of South Carolina, Georgia, and the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina. In North Carolina, it stretches 71 miles from near Highlands to the Snowbird Mountains, south of Robbinsville. The trail is named after William Bartram, a naturalist who roamed the southern woods in 1775. He studied plants and animals and recorded his findings in a journal published as The Travels of William Bartram. The trail is blazed in yellow on the Nantahala National Forest.

The Uwharrie Trail winds over the Piedmont's highest ridgetops for 21 miles through the Uwharrie National Forest. The trail intersects three State roads, where trailheads provide access, as it travels south from SR 1306 to NC 24/27. White blazes mark the trail.

The Neusiok Trail travels 22 miles through the east side of the Croatan National Forest. It goes from a cypress-lined, sandy beach on the Neuse River, south through bottomland hard-woods and thick pocosin, to a beautiful estuary of the Newport River.