About hiking in McDowell County

McDowell County, North Carolina has 57 named trails tagged for hiking, covering 142 miles, an average of 2.5 miles each. The longest is Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 4, at 23.6 miles. 4 run 5 miles or longer.

What the hiking trails in McDowell County are like

By length, 22 are under a mile, 31 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.

Every one carries a difficulty rating: 8 easy, 30 moderate, and 19 hard. Of the 57 with measured elevation, Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Segment 4 climbs the most, about 13,292 ft, and 21 gain 1,000 ft or more.

All 57 hiking trails, longest first

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 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 TrailHike1.6 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 TrailHike1.2 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 TrailHike0.5 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

← All McDowell County trails

Trail geometry from OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed ODbL. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Compiled and published by Trailmonger · trail data last rebuilt October 25, 2026.