HikeWNC's Trailheads are hubs or larger areas where several trails are clustered together or in a network. More than Wikipedia's definition of a Trailhead as "the point at which a trail starts", a Trailhead here could be a campground, a convenient parking area, a river basin, an isolated park, or any other group of trails convenient to one another.
Historically, cities located near the starting point for major paths were also called Trailheads. For this site, a Trailhead can be any of these, but represents a place where you can spend a day or more exploring hiking trails without driving too far (or at all!). Choose a Trailhead from the list or map below to see all the details that we have.
Each Trailhead Has The Following Information (Where Available)
General information (geography, area scenery, and what makes the trail network in that area unique).
The best hikes in that Trailhead area
Raw trail information for each individual trail in the network.
Camping and lodging in and around each Trailhead.
Driving directions to each Trailhead and parking areas within the trailhead.
We're adding all of the trailheads to this interactive map, so you can go directly to the area you're interested in. Roll over a "TH" symbol to see the name, and click for more information about that trailhead area.
KML is the main file type used by Google Earth. If you have Google Earth installed, clicking the KML link should open the trail or point directly
in Google Earth for viewing. This is the native file format used by Google Earth, but many other map applications can use and understand KML as well,
so if you're not sure which one to download, KML is a good bet.
GPX
The GPX format stands for GPS Exchange - a free, open, XML format for exchanging GPS and map data. GPX is compatible with Google Earth,
many other mapping programs, and most GPS devices (such as Garmin). Load the file directly into your GPS to help find your way on your next trip!
GeoJSON
GeoJSON is a newer, lightweight data exchange format which can be used to quickly share map data and may have a smaller size than KML or GPX. Many
professional mapping and GIS applications support the GeoJSON format.
About the Map
Copyright
Base Layers
Base layers provided by Google, MyTopo.com and Microsoft Research (MSR) Maps. Base layer images are subject to
the respective copyright policies of their owners.
Trail and Marker Overlays
Trail layers and downloadable data are all original works created by WNCOutdoors with guidance from a variety of
sources, including ensembles of our own GPS tracks, user contributed GPS tracks, official maps and GIS data from
government agencies, and field observations. WNCOutdoors data is made freely available under the
Open Database License - you are free to copy and use
it for any purpose unde the terms of that license (summary).
Tips
The map will scroll and zoom, just like a normal Google Map.
Click MyTopo to use a USGS topographic maps as the base layer.
Hover over a trail to see it highlighted. Helps to see start and end points for an individual trail.
Click a trail for more details and to download it.
TravelCountry.com specializes in outdoor gear for hiking and backpacking. They have a wide variety of Camelbak hydration packs and water bottles that are perfect for hikers and backpackers.
Choose By Location
Choose a Trailhead to find an area to hike! If you just want to find a great hike by feature or difficulty, go to the Best Hikes section.
