Home >
Best Hikes >
Hikes by Difficulty (More Difficult)Easy | Moderate | More Difficult | Most Difficult
This page includes all More Difficult hikes. Click any Climb or Tread rating for details about the ratings.
| Old Mitchell Trail | John Rock Loop | |||||||||
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. |
This hike takes you past a small but attractive waterfall, up to the top of John Rock, which is the large mountain you see looming behind the Fish Hatchery parking area in Pisgah National Forest. Views of the valley below and up to the Pisgah Ridge, and across to Looking Glass Rock, are this hike's main scenic attraction besides the waterfall, and it also includes some nice displays of wildflowers in the spring. | |||||||||
| Green Knob | Looking Glass Rock | |||||||||
This hike takes you along the Mountains to Sea Trail in a remote section of the Pisgah National Forest. The entire hike is above 5000' in elevation, and you'll explore forests of oaks, birches, beeches, spruces and firs. You'll cross the headwaters of clear, cold mountain creeks and have a distant view of a high, thin, unnamed waterfall. You'll travel through rocky heath balds as well as grassy balds and patches of blueberries. Atop Green Knob, a spectacular view awaits of the Flat Laurel Creek valley and Sam Knob. If you're looking for spectacular solitude, hike to Green Knob! |
This hike, which follows only one trail out-and-back, travels to an icon of the Pisgah Ranger District: the huge granitic pluton which is known by Looking Glass Rock. Visible from many locations along the Parkway and from all over the District, this rock provides spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and valleys and, as such, has been one of the most popular hikes in the area for a long time. | |||||||||
