Hikes in Mount Mitchell State Park
Here are suggested routes for hiking at the Mount Mitchell State Park trailhead. Each one is a best hike on this web site and contains all the information you need to take the hike on your next trip!
Camp Alice/Commissary
2.0 - 3.6mi, Easy
- Climbing: Climbs Gently
- Tread Condition: Climbs Gently
This is a wonderful hike that is both easier and less often used than the summit trail or the nature trail, offering a chance for silence and solitude. There's no lack of scenery compared to the summit area trails, though - high altitude, alpine trees and meadows provide the foreground for the looming peak of Mount Mitchell and distant mountains far beyond. Once an old railroad bed, this is now a gravel path accessible to the entire family. Bring the kids!
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 the changing ecosystem and examples of the spruce-fir forest zone close-up. You'll pass the park restaurant and campground on the way. Return through historic Camp Alice, a former tourist and logging camp, 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 gains 3600' in elevation over 5 1/2 miles to reach the summit of the East's highest peak, making it one of the toughest climbs in the region. You'll enjoy a varied forest that changes with the elevation. 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. And, of course, there are spectacular views from high up. A side loop to a majestic alpine meadow helps provide round-trip variety.
