About trails in McDowell County, North Carolina

McDowell County has 58 named trails on the map, covering 146 miles in total, an average of 2.5 miles per trail. That is the 20th largest mapped trail network among 80 counties in North Carolina. 56 of them are tagged for hiking and 21 for mountain biking.

The longest single trail is Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 4, at 23.6 miles. 4 trails run 5 miles or longer. Mapped points of interest in the county include 7 trailheads, 26 campsites, 20 waterfalls, and 3 boat launches. The nearest towns to these trails are Montreat, Old Fort, and Marion.

What the trails in McDowell County are like

By length, 22 are under a mile, 32 run 1 to 5 miles, and 4 are 5 miles or longer. 6 are loops, ending where they start; the longest is Catawba Falls Ridge Trail, at 4.2 miles.

Of the 31 with a difficulty rating, 8 easy, 21 moderate, and 2 hard. Of the 58 with measured elevation, Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 4 climbs the most, about 12,381 ft, and 22 gain 1,000 ft or more.

Explore by activity

146Total miles

26Campsites

3Boat launches

20Waterfalls

7Trailheads

Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 4Hike23.6 mi Old Mitchell Toll RoadHikeMTB15.4 mi Mountains-to-Sea TrailHikeMTB11.1 mi Woods Mountain TrailHikeMTB5.4 mi Youngs Ridge TrailHike4.6 mi Catawba Falls Ridge TrailHike4.2 mi Limekiln Rd aka Armstrong RdHikeMTB4.0 mi Snook's NoseHike4.0 mi Heartbreak RidgeHikeMTB3.8 mi Point Lookout TrailHikeMTB3.6 mi Kitsuma/Youngs Ridge TrailHikeMTB3.6 mi Harris Creek TrailHikeMTB3.5 mi Parris Creek Trail3.3 mi Deep Cove TrailHikeMTB3.0 mi Armstrong Creek TrailHike2.9 mi Fox Den Loop TrailHike2.6 mi Sugar Cove TrailHike2.5 mi Catawba Falls River TrailHike2.5 mi Newberry Creek RoadHike2.5 mi Copper Ridge TrailHikeMTB2.3 mi Newberry Creek TrailHike2.2 mi Lead Mine Gap TrailHike2.2 mi Camp Rock TrailHikeMTB2.2 mi Overmountain Victory TrailHike2.0 mi Black Bear Creek TrailHike1.8 mi Bernard Mountain RoadHikeMTB1.7 mi Hickory Branch TrailHike1.6 mi Laurel Log Branch TrailHike1.6 mi Adventure TrailMTB1.6 mi Peavine TrailHike1.5 mi Lake Channel Overlook TrailHike1.4 mi Joseph McDowell Historical Catawba GreenwayHike1.4 mi Little Table Rock Mountain TrailHike1.4 mi Catawba View TrailHikeMTB1.4 mi East Ridge TrailHike1.1 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail, Woods Mountain ExtensionHikeMTB1.0 mi Old Trestle RoadHike1.0 mi Rostan TrailHike1.0 mi Kitsuma TrailHikeMTB1.0 mi Royal Gorge TrailHike0.9 mi Woodlawn Fitness TrailHike0.8 mi Jarrett's RunHikeMTB0.8 mi Linville Falls Connector TrailHike0.6 mi Gillespie Gap TrailHike0.6 mi Stage Coach TrailHike0.6 mi Sandy Cliff Overlook TrailHike0.5 mi Bad Fork TrailHikeMTB0.5 mi Toms Creek FallsHike0.4 mi Jerdon Connector TrailHikeMTB0.4 mi Rhododendron Ridge TrailHike0.4 mi Round hill loop trailHike0.3 mi Catawba Falls TrailHike0.3 mi Dobson Knob SpurHike0.2 mi Catawba Falls Wildflower TrailHike0.2 mi Kitsuma Peak TrailHikeMTB0.2 mi Woods Mtn TrailHikeMTB0.1 mi Curtis Creek Fishing AccessHike0.1 mi Fishing Pier TrailHike0.1 mi

Trails by town in McDowell County

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Trail geometry from OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed ODbL. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Compiled and published by Trailmonger · trail data last rebuilt September 24, 2026.