The gushing water of Greenland Creek drowned out my footsteps as I trekked through chunky clusters of rhododendron on Mac’s Gap Trail. The lush canopy overhead filtered the tumbling sunlight like stained glass, giving the trail a soft glow. The autumn air was refreshingly crisp, a harbinger of fire…
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Peak baggers take note: Jackson County, North Carolina is home to some of the highest mountains in the Eastern United States. But the best part? There are trails and summits for everyone from the most novice of hikers and families with small children to endurance athletes looking to log some serious…
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On its way from Clingman’s Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Jockey’s Ridge in the Outer Banks, North Carolina’s state trail runs along Jackson County’s northeast border. The Mountains-To-Sea Trail meanders through the Balsams, the range that divides Jackson and Haywood counties…
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For any number of outdoor adventures in Jackson County, the Blue Ridge Parkway is the perfect starting point. While offering awesome beauty through car windows, the scenic highway also provides hiking options both short and long. Whether you choose to mostly drive, pausing at overlooks, or stop for…
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Spring is just around the corner, and warm weather ushers in the perfect time to get outside and tackle a new adventure. In Jackson County, Spring kicks off with competitive races and adventurous feats from trail running and whitewater kayaking, to cycling and hiking over mountains. Here are four…
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In western North Carolina’s Jackson County, the Blue Ridge Mountains tumble into the Smokies in a series of soaring peaks. Featuring both the Great Balsam and Plott Balsam mountains—two of the loftiest ranges in the entire Appalachian chain—Jackson County is a peak-laden paradise for summit seekers…
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Meandering 469-miles through Virginia and North Carolina, from the Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway snakes though some the East Coast’s most stunning scenery. For the last 40-miles—the loftiest stretch of the wilderness-shrouded…
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Although big cats no longer prowl the 6,295-acre swath of the Nantahala National Forest dubbed Panthertown Valley, it’s still easy to imagine the namesake predators roaming the sylvan trails. One of the most stunning and ruggedly wild tracts of the massive national forest is Panthertown Valley—a…
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In a corner of the state inundated with undulating mountain chains and punctuated with soaring summits that include a generous number of 6,000-foot peaks, Yellow Mountain is far from western North Carolina’s loftiest summit at 5,127 feet in elevation. However, scaling this pinnacle of the Cowee…
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Jackson County, North Carolina, features a varied landscape is a veritable buffet for backpackers. Nestled at the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, overlaid by the Plott Balsam and Great Balsam mountains, and loaded with strings of soaring 6,000-foot peaks (sixers) amid a massive…
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