Moderate Hiking Trails Near Asheville, N.C.
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*Travel Time is represented by the distance from downtown Asheville
Bearwallow Mountain Trail
- Distance from Asheville: About 19 miles; 30-35 minutes from downtown
- Length: 1-mile trail to the meadow; 0.7-mile gravel access road
- Difficulty: Moderate
A open mountain meadow, Bearwallow Mountain is perfectly picturesque and ideal for picnicking. More Info
Biltmore Estate Trails
- Distance from Asheville: 2 miles
- Length: 1.7 to 6 miles round-trip
- Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Biltmore’s trails are accessible to those who have either an annual pass or ticket. Once you’re on the estate, you can choose to start your hike from the house, the Lagoon, the Bass Pond, the Inn or the area near Antler Hill Village. Possibly the best option is to pick up a trail map from the Outdoor Center at Antler Hill Village. More Info
Black Balsam Hike on Art Loeb Trail
- Distance from Asheville: About 36 miles (1 hour)
- Length: 2 miles round trip to Black Balsam (with options to add on to create a longer hike or loop).
- Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Surrounded by wilderness, this tree-free ‘bald’ is an easy-to-moderate, family-friendly hike, ideal for picnicking or blueberry picking. More Info
Bridal Veil Falls Hike
- Distance from Asheville: About 38 miles; 50-60 minute drive
- Length: 1.88 miles each way
- Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Fans of The Hunger Games and Last of the Mohicans were introduced to Bridal Veil Falls in Dupont State Forest on the silver screen. Hikers can easily take in the view, too, with this easy, scenic stroll through the woods. With plenty of exposed rock around the falls, this is a great picnic spot. More Info
Craggy Pinnacle Trail
- Distance from Asheville: About 24 miles; 35-minute drive
- Length: 1.2 miles total (.6 mile each way)
- Difficulty: Moderate
A short, easy-to-access hike through a rhododendron thicket brings you to the pinnacle and 360˚views, glorious sunsets or morning mist on the mountains. More Info
Daniel Ridge Loop Trail
- Distance from Asheville: About 39 miles; 50-55 minutes
- Length: 4-mile loop
- Difficulty: Moderate
With so many waterfalls in the Brevard area, Daniel Ridge Falls (a 150-foot cascade on Lanning Branch that’s also called Tom Spring Falls and less frequently, Jackson Falls) is often overlooked. Take advantage of its relative obscurity to have this peaceful riverside loop trail all to yourself. A mountain biker may whizz by you, but otherwise, all you’ll hear is rushing water and birdsongs along your way. More Info
Deep Creek Waterfall Hike
- Distance from Asheville: About 65 miles, 1 hour 25 minutes
- Length: 5-miles loop (or shorter if only doing sections)
- Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
Deep Creek is one of the most beloved areas in the Smokies, known for offering the opportunity to see three beautiful waterfalls. Take a 5-mile loop hike to see them all or craft a shorter hike. Deep Creek is also known for its popular tubing sections -- one of which passes directly in front of one of the waterfalls! The Deep Creek trail was an old logging road used around the turn of the 20thcentury. Splash dams were built along the creek to float timber down to the sawmills in the area. More Info
Devil's Courthouse Hike on Blue Ridge Parkway
- Distance from Asheville: About 37 miles, 1 hour 5 minutes
- Length: 1 mile round trip
- Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
From the parking area at Devil’s Courthouse Blue Ridge Parkway, you can see your destination above you: an imposing rock outcropping that dares you to climb it. Rise to the challenge: from atop this edifice, you’ll have the world at your feet, with views to the north, south and west. After all, the summit of Devil's Courthouse is at 5,720 feet. More Info
Fryingpan Mountain Lookout Tower Hike
- Distance from Asheville: About 25 miles, 40 minutes
- Length: About 1.5 miles round trip
- Difficulty: Moderate
Fryingpan Tower is the tallest fire tower in Western North Carolina. So, even though the hike isn't difficult, this hike may not be for those who are afraid of heights. The only way to see the views on this hike is by climbing the tower. More Info
Graveyard Fields Loop Trail
- Distance from Asheville: About 40 miles; 1 hour
- Length: 3.5 miles total
- Difficulty: Moderate
Waterfalls, rhododendron, fall color, summer blueberry picking and high-elevation meadows and forests: there’s a reason just about everyone who hikes near Asheville has been to Graveyard Fields. This family-friendly hike off the Blue Ridge Parkway has something for everyone and several hiking options. More Info
Hooker Falls, Triple Falls, and High Falls Hike
- Distance from Asheville: About 38 miles; 50-60 minute drive
- Length: Hooker Falls, .4 miles each way Triple Falls, .5 mile from Hooker Falls Parking Lot High Falls Trail, .5 mile from Triple Falls 2.2 miles total for all three falls
- Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Dupont State Forest is the best place to discover why Brevard and Transylvania County is called “The Land of the Waterfalls.” Get a sampler of some of the area’s wonderful waterfalls with a (mostly) easy hike to Hooker Falls, Triple Falls and High Falls. Accessible enough for kids, the trails that connect the falls are scenic and include picnic spots. Fans of The Hunger Games and The Last of the Mohicanswill recognize some of the scenery. More Info
John Rock Trail
- Distance from Asheville: About 38 miles; 55 minutes
- Length: 5.7 miles total (via the bypass)
- Difficulty: Moderate
From the parking lot of the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, head toward the left of the parking lot, to the paved Forest Road 475c. From here, you’ll start the Cat Gap Loop Trail (#120). You’ll cross a bridge and enter a forested area. The trail will level out for a while and you’ll have several more creek crossings as well as some that involve rock hopping. You’ll come across a spur trail (.25 mile) to the left, leading to Cedar Rock Falls. It’s a pretty little break in the hike. More Info
Max Patch Trail
- Distance from Asheville: About 40 miles; 70-75 minute drive
- Length: 1.5 miles
- Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Max Patch is a “bald,” the Southern Appalachian name for a hilltop without a single tree. While this mountain isn’t naturally bald (it was cleared for grazing in the nineteenth century), it’s certainly naturally beautiful. Some call it “the crown jewel of the Appalachian Trail,” the famous footpath which crosses it at the top. Bring a picnic, a Frisbee or a kite and plan on practicing yoga in the idyllic scenery here near Hot Springs. More Info
Mountains-To-Sea-Trail at Craven Gap
- Distance from Asheville: About 7 miles, 15 minutes
- Length: 4.8 miles round trip
- Difficulty: Moderate
With thousands of acres of wilderness close to Asheville, where do you start to explore? For an introduction to the splendor of mountain scenery, try Craven Gap off the Blue Ridge Parkway, just 15 minutes from downtown. It’s a hike that families can enjoy. It's also the only place a president has set foot on the Parkway: President and Mrs. Obama hiked here in 2010. More Info
Mount Pisgah Trail
- Distance from Asheville: About 35 minutes
- Length: 2.6 miles round-trip
- Difficulty: Moderate
Mount Pisgah can be seen from many places throughout the Asheville area. In fact, many of Biltmore's windows perfectly frame this iconic peak. Once you reach the summit, you'll have a great view of another of the area's most iconic peaks: Cold Mountain. More Info
Little Cataloochee Trail
- Distance from Asheville: About 45 miles; 70-minute drive
- Length: 6.1 miles total
- Difficulty: Moderate
For nearly a century, Big and Little Cataloochee valleys in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park were home to generations of farming families. Hike past abandoned (but mostly restored) homesteads and churches that were once full of life. If you’re lucky, you’ll encounter Cataloochee’s most interesting new residents: the herd of elk that now graze the meadows and roam these wooded hills. More Info
Looking Glass Rock Trail
- Distance from Asheville: About 36 miles; 45-50 minutes
- Length: 6.4 miles total
- Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
Looking Glass Rock is a white-granite “pluton” (igneous rock), rising to nearly 4,000 feet from the floor of Pisgah National Forest. Visible from the Blue Ridge Parkway, Mt. Pisgah and even the Black Balsam, it’s hugely popular with both hikers and rock climbers, especially during winter when there’s less concern about the heat radiating off the rock. Challenge yourself to a partially steep hike and you’ll be rewarded with amazing 360˚-views in every season. Just think of the pictures you’ll get from the top. More Info
Lookout Trail Hike in Montreat
- Distance from Asheville: About 18 miles, 25 minutes
- Length: 1.4 miles round trip (with the option of adding other trails for a longer hike)
- Difficulty: Moderate
If traveling from downtown Asheville, you can be stepping on the Lookout Trail in Montreat in about 25 minutes and, after a brisk hike, stepping off it under an hour later. Rock outcroppings near the peak make for perfect picnicking, and the horizon is dotted with the peaks of the Seven Sisters of the Black Mountains. Fall color is spectacular here, but the views are impressive any time of year. The trail is steep and includes a few scrambles at the top, but the views are well worth the effort. More Info
Lunch Rocks Trail
- Distance from Asheville: About 15 minutes
- Length: 4.9 miles round trip
- Difficulty: Moderate
This section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) leads from the Folk Art Center to a beautiful view of the Haw Creek valley at Lunch Rocks. After your hike, be sure to stop into the Folk Art Center to discover art and handicrafts made by local artists. More Info
Rainbow Falls and Turtleback Hike
- Distance from Asheville: About 57 miles; 1 hour, 30 minute drive
- Length: 1.5 miles each way to Rainbow Falls, an additional 1 mile round-trip to Turtleback Falls
- Difficulty: Moderate
The Horsepasture River thunders down a 125-foot drop spraying up a mist that creates rainbows that sparkle in the sunlight. This magical sight can be seen at Rainbow Falls in Gorges State Park, one of the best Western North Carolina waterfall hikes. More Info
Roan Mountain Hike on the Appalachian Trail
- Distance from Asheville: 64 miles, 1 hour 30 minutes
- Length: About 5 miles roundtrip
- Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Considered one of the most scenic areas on the entire Appalachian Trail, this section starting from Carver’s Gap (elevation 5,512) takes you across three spectacular unique grassy hilltops (known as "balds") with unimpeded views. More Info
Sam Knob at Black Balsam Trail
- Distance from Asheville: About 53 miles; 60-70-minute drive
- Length: 2.5 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
An alternative to the popular Black Balsam Knob hike that can be accessed from the same parking lot off the Blue Ridge Parkway, Sam Knob will win your heart with high mountain meadows and long-range wilderness views that rival any in the region. More Info
Trombatore Trail
- Distance from Asheville: 19 miles, 30-35 minutes
- Length: 5 miles round trip
- Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
Steep wooded slopes, mountain creeks, open fields and long-range views: this trail has a little bit of every type of terrain that you'd find in the Hickory Nut Gap area. Since the trail is new (completed in 2014) and not well known, you’re unlikely to have to share the payoff view at the summit with other hikers. More Info
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