Get Extreme in Spring in Jackson County

Get Extreme in Spring in Jackson County

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 ways to find extreme adventure this spring in Jackson County.

Winter Recipes to Warm up your Appetite

Winter Recipes to Warm up your Appetite

The weather may be cold outside, but Jackson County’s restaurants are on top of their game, serving up warm, comforting dishes to satisfy any craving. From cocktails to appetizers, dinners to desserts, a few of Jackson County’s restaurants share their favorite winter recipes. Now you can make a dish to impress!

A Guide to the 9 Highest Peaks in Jackson County (and How to Hike them All)

A Guide to the 9 Highest Peaks in Jackson County (and How to Hike them All)

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, loaded with southern ‘sixers’ (summits over 6,000-feet in elevation). Here’s a list of the mountain-adorned county’s loftiest summits—and how to tackle them.

How to Have an Awesome Microbrew Tour in Jackson County

How to Have an Awesome Microbrew Tour in Jackson County

Loaded with more microbreweries than any other southeastern state, North Carolina is rightfully recognized as one of the country’s booming bastions of craft beer. While Asheville’s heavily concentrated collection of microbreweries may have made the town North Carolina’s capital of craft beer, one of the state’s most singular beer trails is just west of the city, in mountain-rippled, stream-laced Jackson County.

Can’t Miss Stops Along the Highest Section of the Blue Ridge Parkway

Can’t Miss Stops Along the Highest Section of the Blue Ridge Parkway

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 thoroughfare—the parkway coils around the high peaks of Jackson County in western North Carolina, showcasing everything from wildflower-flecked Appalachian balds to dense evergreen forests to soaring, cloud-swirled summits. The options along the iconic roadway are abundant, but here are a handful of highlights along the parkway’s highest stretch.

An Insider’s Guide to Panthertown Valley: The Yosemite of the East

An Insider’s Guide to Panthertown Valley: The Yosemite of the East

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 place that has been referred to as the Yosemite of the East and one that is home to an unimaginably varied backcountry loaded with craggy granite cliffs, plunging ravines, soaring 4,000-foot peaks, and waterfalls spilling into private plunge pools. The recreation area is open to hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, fishing, and horseback riding—and despite increase popularity in recent years, Panthertown’s rugged trails are still steeped in solitude.

Hiking Yellow Mountain: The Toughest Hike in Western Carolina?

Hiking Yellow Mountain: The Toughest Hike in Western Carolina?

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 Mountain chain involves one of the most punishing—and thoroughly rewarding—ascents in the southern Appalachians.