Best Hiking Trails in North Carolina | Trailmonger

About hiking in North Carolina

North Carolina has 3,387 named trails tagged for hiking on the map, covering 6,466 miles, an average of 1.9 miles each. The longest is Thermal Belt Rail Trail in Rutherford County, at 81.0 miles. 239 run 5 miles or longer. 79 of the state's counties have at least one; Wake County has the most, with 368 trails.

Top 100 hiking trails, longest first

Trails 1–25

Thermal Belt Rail TrailHikeMTBRutherford County81.0 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 18HikeDare County73.6 mi Lakeshore TrailHikeSwain County67.0 mi Bartram TrailHikeMacon County61.9 mi Mountains-to-Sea TrailHikeDare County53.6 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 15HikeOnslow County53.1 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 3HikeBuncombe County49.9 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 17HikeCarteret County47.8 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 14HikePender County46.6 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 10HikeDurham County44.1 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 16HikeCarteret County42.9 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 12HikeSampson County39.7 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 6HikeSurry County38.4 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 13HikeBladen County38.1 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 11HikeJohnston County37.1 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 5HikeWatauga County37.0 mi Mountains-to-Sea TrailHikeBuncombe County36.0 mi Falls Lake TrailHikeDurham County33.2 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 1HikeSwain County32.4 mi Deep Creek TrailHikeSwain County27.8 mi Springhouse Branch TrailHikeSwain County27.6 mi Mountains-to-Sea TrailHikeJackson County27.0 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 2HikeJackson County26.6 mi Buncombe Horse Range TrailHikeYancey County25.7 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 9HikeAlamance County25.5 mi

Trails 26–50

Auger Hole TrailHikeTransylvania County25.1 mi Corridor TrailHikeSurry County25.0 mi Caldwell Fork TrailHikeHaywood County24.9 mi Long Loop TrailHikeStanly County24.2 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 4HikeMcDowell County23.6 mi Uwharrie TrailHikeMontgomery County23.0 mi Shut-in TrailHikeBuncombe County22.9 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 7HikeStokes County22.6 mi Forney Creek TrailHikeSwain County22.2 mi Thomas Divide TrailHikeSwain County22.1 mi Dutchman's Creek TrailHikeMontgomery County21.8 mi Little East Fork TrailHikeHaywood County21.1 mi Sauratown TrailHikeStokes County20.8 mi Fonta Flora TrailHikeBurke County19.5 mi Hughes Ridge TrailHikeSwain County19.1 mi Little Sugar Creek GreenwayHikeMTBMecklenburg County18.6 mi Black Mountain Crest TrailHikeYancey County18.2 mi Art Loeb TrailHikeTransylvania County17.6 mi Foothills TrailHikeTransylvania County16.9 mi Mountains-to-Sea TrailHikeWilkes County16.4 mi Sunkota Ridge TrailHikeSwain County15.9 mi Boogerman TrailHikeHaywood County15.9 mi Mountains-to-Sea TrailHikeWatauga County15.7 mi Swallow Fork TrailHikeHaywood County15.5 mi Old Mitchell Toll RoadHikeMTBMcDowell County15.4 mi

Trails 51–75

Haw River Land TrailHikeAlamance County15.3 mi Smokemont Loop TrailHikeSwain County15.0 mi Mountains-to-Sea TrailHikeBurke County14.9 mi Colbert Ridge TrailHikeYancey County14.7 mi Hazel Creek TrailHikeSwain County14.3 mi Salem Creek GreenwayHikeForsyth County14.2 mi Moses Creek RoadHikeJackson County14.2 mi Laurel Gap TrailHikeMTBBuncombe County14.0 mi Black Creek GreenwayHikeMTBWake County14.0 mi South Mills River RoadHikeMTBTransylvania County13.1 mi Mysterious Cabin LoopHikeJackson County13.1 mi Neusiok TrailHikeCraven County12.9 mi Cape Fear River TrailHikeMTBCumberland County12.8 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Hunting Season Detour - Segment 7HikeStokes County12.8 mi Linville Gorge TrailHikeBurke County12.5 mi Lenoir GreenwayHikeMTBCaldwell County12.2 mi Baxter Creek TrailHikeHaywood County12.0 mi Ecusta TrailHikeMTBHenderson County11.8 mi Haw River TrailHikeAlamance County11.7 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 9AHikeOrange County11.7 mi Mountains-to-Sea TrailHikeHyde County11.6 mi Deep Low Gap TrailHikeSwain County11.5 mi Mingus Creek TrailHikeSwain County11.4 mi Warrior CreekHikeMTBWilkes County11.3 mi Explorer LoopHikeMTBBuncombe County11.3 mi

Trails 76–100

Middle Loop TrailHikeStanly County11.2 mi Mountains-to-Sea TrailHikeAshe County11.2 mi Weetock TrailHikeJones County11.1 mi Douglas Falls TrailHikeBuncombe County11.1 mi Mountains-to-Sea TrailHikeMTBMcDowell County11.1 mi Birkhead Mountain TrailHikeRandolph County10.9 mi Company Mill TrailHikeWake County10.8 mi Graveyard Ridge TrailHikeMTBHaywood County10.7 mi Mount Mitchell TrailHikeYancey County10.6 mi Overmountain Victory National Historic TrailHikeBurke County10.4 mi Yellow Creek Mountain TrailHikeGraham County10.4 mi Pretty Hollow Gap TrailHikeHaywood County10.3 mi Green Mountain TrailHikeHaywood County10.2 mi Fork Ridge TrailHikeSwain County9.9 mi Perimeter TrailHikeSurry County9.8 mi Canebrake TrailHikeTransylvania County9.7 mi Mountain TrailHikeSurry County9.6 mi Woody Ridge TrailHikeYancey County9.6 mi Flat Rock Ridge TrailHikeWilkes County9.3 mi North Harper Creek TrailHikeAvery County9.3 mi Black Mountain TrailHikeMTBTransylvania County9.3 mi Mountains-to-Sea Connector TrailHikeBurke County9.1 mi Snowbird MountainHikeGraham County9.0 mi Big Ivy RoadHikeMTBBuncombe County8.8 mi Jenkins Ridge TrailHikeSwain County8.7 mi

Hiking Trails by county

Counties 61–79

Alexander County

Mitchell County

Washington County

Alleghany County

Columbus County

Davidson County

Beaufort County

Richmond County

← All of North Carolina

Trail geometry from OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed ODbL. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Compiled and published by Trailmonger · trail data last rebuilt October 4, 2026.