The Best Hikes to Historic Sites in Western North Carolina
Welcome to your guide to the best hikes to historic sites in Western North Carolina. This section lists Guided Hikes in the various Trailheads on this site that travel to areas of particular historic interest. You may find artifacts, ruins, historic markers, or other signs to indicate areas steeped in history.
On this page, all hikes are listed and they are organized by their relative difficulty level (easiest to hardest). To find a hike by another category, choose from the list at the left. Once you select a hike, you can find all the details!
Camp Alice/Commissary
2.5mi, Easy
- Climbing: Climbs Gently
- Tread Condition: Climbs Gently
An easy hike along an old railroad bed (now a graveled, rarely used park road) to an old logging and tourist camp below the summit and then to a beautiful, popular National Forest campsite. You'll wind around a grassy, open mountain ridge. Examine the high-elevation boreal forest and pick buckets of wild blueberries during the late summer. Cross the crystal-clear Lower Creek and continue on an easy path through spectacular alpine forests and meadows. Hike suitable for children!
Pink Beds Loop
4.3mi, Moderate
- Climbing: Few Hills
- Tread Condition: Few Hills
This unique hike loops you around a flat, high-elevation valley. You'll see rare mountain bogs, including glimpses of some rare and endangered species of plants. Pass through a forest in transition as beavers have dammed the South Fork Mills River to form their ponds. You'll also find crystal clear brooks, wildlife meadows and scenic fern-filled woods. This forest is one of the first to ever be managed through modern forestry techniques, earning in the nickname "The Cradle of Forestry in America."
Rattlesnake Lodge
2.6mi, Moderate
- Climbing: Climbs Moderately
- Tread Condition: Climbs Moderately
This pleasant trail, a section of the Mountains to Sea Trail, is close to Asheville, making it a nice option if you're in the city and don't have a lot of drive time. A well-designed trail starts through a multitude of switchbacks, following an old wagon route. The wagon route was built to reach a historic private lodge, the remains of which you'll find at the end of this hike. Explore the old toolshed, the tennis courts, or the water supply pond, now long since grown over with thick Appalachian forests.
Old Mitchell Trail
4mi, More Difficult
- Climbing: Hilly
- Tread Condition: Hilly
Don't be like the rest of the tourists and drive to the top: take a real hike to the summit of Mount Mitchell! This moderate trail climbs from the Park Office roughly 2 miles to the summit along a beautiful and historic, newly-completed trail. The entire trail is above 6000' in elevation, meaning even during the summer you'll stay cool and refreshed. See close-up the changing ecosystem and examples of boreal forest vegetation. You'll pass the park restaurant and campground on the way. Return through historic Camp Alice on an easy old roadbed back up to the park office.
Mount Mitchell
11.4mi, Most Difficult
- Climbing: Climbs Steeply
- Tread Condition: Climbs Steeply
Starting at the Black Mountain Campground on the Toe River, this hike climbs 3600' over 5 1/2 miles, making it one of the toughest climbs in the area. You'll enjoy a varied forest that changes with the elevation and, of course, spectacular views. Much of the forest is old-growth, and you'll pass through stands of Red Spruce that help explain why this tree was such a valued resource. A side loop to a majestic alpine meadow helps provide round-trip variety.
Mount Pisgah
3mi, Moderate
- Climbing: Climbs Moderately
- Tread Condition: Climbs Moderately
A classic Blue Ridge Parkway hike, this trail continues onto National Forest land to climb to the summit of one of the area's most well-known peaks. Easily visible from most of downtown Asheville, Mount Pisgah's 5721' peak supports the transmission tower for WLOS-TV, channel 13, in Asheville. The trail itself is a rocky, steep climb through Northern hardwood forests and rhododendron and mountain laurel tunnels to the summit, where 360 degree views await!
