From quick and easy loops around town to drives that take you to fantastic lakes and mountains, our city has so many options to hit the trail. So lace up your hiking boots, because we’ve compiled a hiking guide for the Asheville area with 14 routes and trails to help you plan your next adventure and experience breathtaking views.
Note: While parks and trails may be listed as open, we recommend checking park websites — especially the Blue Ridge Parkway, which closes every winter — before visiting for further info, current trail conditions, and safest practices for the area.
Key: Easy = 🥾| Moderate = 🥾🥾 | Hard = 🥾🥾🥾
A cow on Bearwallow Mountain.
Photo by @nativegvlgirl
Close to town
Bearwallow Mountain, N35.4607, W-82.3681
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 2.1 mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, on leash
This trail slopes gently uphill, eventually leading you to a gorgeous, pastoral bald with plenty of space to roam and picnic. Very often, you’ll see cows roaming the bald.
Rattlesnake Lodge, 667 State Rd. 2109, Weaverville
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 3.7 mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, on leash
What this hike lacks in sweeping summit views, it makes up for with historic artifacts. After a good number of switchbacks and a few rocky outcrops, you’ll encounter the former site of the Rattlesnake Lodge, which was built in 1904 and gets its name from the now-defunct living room that was covered in rattlesnake skins.
Hard Times Loop Trail, 375 Wesley Branch Rd.
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 6.4 mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, on leash
This lovely loop is part of the trail network that traverses Bent Creek Experimental Forest and the NC Arboretum. It’s open year-round and has a moderate grade, with the exception of a steep incline about halfway through the hike.
Richmond Hill Park, 300 Richmond Hill Dr.
- Difficulty: 🥾
- Length: Mileage varies
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, on leash
This city-owned park peers above the French Broad River with a surprising number of wooded trails (plus specific zones for mountain bikers and frisbee golfers) that weave throughout the forested area. Be warned: it can be easy to get turned around here, but there’s usually plenty of friendly folks willing to point you in the right direction.
Pine Tree Loop, Bent Creek Experimental Forest
- Difficulty: 🥾
- Length: 3.2 miles
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, on leash
This relaxing route is a great spot for newer hikers to explore. There’s plenty of shade and minimal elevation gain. Trails are mixed use so you can also come out here for a run or bike ride.
Blue Ridge Parkway and Pisgah National Forest
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾🥾
- Length: 5.7 mile out-and-back
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Can be dangerous for pets
One of the most popular hikes in Pisgah, the summit of this hike offers panoramic views atop a large smooth rock that gets its name from the way it reflects ice in the winter. On the way up, you’ll encounter several springs and plenty of rhododendron and mountain laurel.
Pink Beds Loop, US-276, Pisgah Forest
- Difficulty: 🥾
- Length: 5.1 mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, on leash
Sequestered in the historic “Cradle of Forestry,” this trail is not as pink as it name implies — but it’s a lovely place to observe wildflowers, babbling brooks, and towering pine trees. There are also several boardwalks throughout the trail that are ideal for observing bugs and other water critters.
Graveyard Fields, Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 418.8
- Difficulty: 🥾
- Length: 2.9 mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, on leash
We recommend getting here early (or very late) as the parking lot fills up quickly. This historic trail moves through an old fire site and several waterfalls.
Black Balsam Knob, Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 420.2
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 1.4 mile out-and-back
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, on leash
This expansive bald has some of the best views in Pisgah — often times, soaring above the misty Blue Ridge clouds. To get there, trek through a grove of balsams and up a rock outcrop. You’ll want to bring a jacket as it gets very windy up there.
Craggy Gardens is known for its twisty rhododenrons.
Photo by @jared_kay
Craggy Gardens, Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 364
- Difficulty: 🥾
- Length: 1.9 mile out-and-back
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, on leash
In the summer, blueberries are ripe for the picking and rhododendrons famously decorate the landscape of this iconic Asheville trail — but the panoramic views of Pisgah are sublime all year-long (just make sure the Blue Ridge Parkway is open before heading out).
Mt. Pisgah, Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 407.6
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 4.5 mile out-and-back
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, on leash
This steep, technical trail climbs through tunnels of rhododendrons and some muddy patches to offer a rewarding summit. The hike finishes at an observation deck and transmission tower, with sweeping views of Pisgah National Forest.
A gorgeous shot of Mount Mitchell.
Photo by @photofern.wnc
Mount Mitchell State Park
Mount Mitchell Trail, S. Toe River Rd, Burnsville
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 11 miles out-and-back
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, on leash
This one’s not for the weak of the heart — but it can be done if you start early enough or if you bring overnight supplies and make it a camping trip. If you complete this hike, which reaches up to 6,684 ft., you get forever bragging rights for scaling the highest peak in the Eastern US.
- Difficulty: 🥾
- Length: 0.4 miles out-and-back
- Wheelchair accessible: Yes, with assistance
- Pet-friendly: Yes, on leash
Want the epic views of Mt. Mitchell without an excruciatingly long hike? Park at the visitor center and hop on this paved trail. There’s also a concession stand and gift shop on-site.
Snowy sunrise over Max Patch.
Photo by @jared_kay
Appalachian Trail
Max Patch Loop, Max Patch Rd.
- Difficulty: 🥾
- Length: 1.5 mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, on leash
Be warned: the drive up to the Max Patch parking lot is bumpy and twisty. But if you can manage that, you’ll be rewarded with a short, family-friendly hike that offers deeply memorable views of the mountains, with plenty of space to picnic and frolic.
Lover’s Leap, 138 Silvermine Rd., Hot Springs
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 1.8 mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, on leash
This hike is especially great if you’re already planning an excursion out to Hot Springs Resort and Spa. It’s perched alongside the French Broad River, climbing over rocky, root-laden terrain, and offers many wonderful vantage points of the Appalachian Trail, river, and surrounding township.
Linville Gorge
Shortoff Mountain, Wolfpit Rd., Nebo
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾🥾
- Length: 5.5 mile out-and-back
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, on leash
If you’re looking for stunning views of Linville Gorge and a challenging yet rewarding journey up there, this is a dream hike. Quartz crystal glistens along the trail and you also get fun views of Lake James.
Linville Falls, Hwy. 183, Newland
- Difficulty: 🥾
- Length: 0.9 mile out-and-back
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes, on leash
If you’d rather experience Linville Gorge from the perspective of the river that cuts through it, this hike offer the perfect vantage, with several waterfalls sprinkled throughout the trail. It’s best to visit April through November as it gets rather icy in the winter months.
