From quick and easy loops around town to drives that take you to fantastic mountain vistas and lush waterfalls, our city has so many options to hit the trail. So lace up your hiking boots, because we’ve compiled a hiking guide for the Charlotte area with routes and trails to help you plan your next adventure.
Note: While parks and trails may be listed as open, we recommend checking park websites before visiting for further info, current trail conditions, and safest practices for the area.
Key: Easy = 🥾| Moderate = 🥾🥾 | Hard = 🥾🥾🥾
US National Whitewater Center
US National Whitewater Center, 5000 Whitewater Center Pkwy., Charlotte
The world’s premier outdoor center stretched across 1,300 acres offers numerous hiking trails — from paths astride the Catawba River to off-leash destinations for you and your dog.
- Difficulty: 🥾 to 🥾🥾🥾
- Length: Trails range from 1.6 miles - 42.1-mile loops
- Wheelchair accessible: Portions
- Pet-friendly: Yes
McDowell Nature Center
McDowell Nature Center, 15222 York Rd., Charlotte
The McDowell Nature Preserve Trail is a 1.2-mile loop featuring scenic creek views and close-up looks at diverse tree species found in the park.
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 1.2 miles
- Wheelchair accessible: Yes
- Pet-friendly: Yes
Crowder’s Mountain
Crowder’s Mountain State Park, 522 Park Office Ln., Kings Mountain
Crowders Mountain State Park boasts two mountain peaks with magnificent views of the surrounding Piedmont. Trails provide challenging hikes and towering cliffs.
- Difficulty: 🥾 to 🥾🥾🥾
- Length: 0.8-mile - 20-mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: Portions
- Pet-friendly: Yes
Lake Norman State Park
Lake Norman State Park, 759 State Park Rd., Troutman
Hike a channel of forested trails along the largest man-made lake in North Carolina — covering 17 miles of the lake’s northern shoreline.
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 0.8-mile - 6.3-mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: Portions
- Pet-friendly: Yes
Anne Springs Close Greenway
Anne Springs Close Greenway, 2573 Lake Haigler Dr., Fort Mill
The Anne Springs Close Greenway operates a trail system 36 miles long, featuring a pristine scenery of wildflowers, bird-watching opportunities, and access to Lake Haigler.
- Difficulty: 🥾 to 🥾🥾
- Length: 36-mile trail system
- Wheelchair accessible: Portions
- Pet-friendly: Yes
Landsford Canal State Park
Lansford Canal State Park, 2051 Park Dr., Catawba, SC
Follow what remains of the Lansford Canal, built in the 19th century, while enjoying a peaceful walk along the Catawba River.
- Difficulty: 🥾
- Length: 1.5-mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: Portions
- Pet-friendly: Yes
Uwharrie National Forest
Uwharrie National Forest, 789 NC 24, Troy, NC
Choose from dozens of trails while trekking through the pristine North Carolina forest.
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 1.4 mile to 20.5-mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes
High Shoals Falls
South Mountains State Park, 3001 S. Mountain Park, Connelly Springs
Visitors will walk astride a rocky stream before being led to a pristine, 80-ft waterfall known as High Shoals Falls.
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 2.7-mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: Portions
- Pet-friendly: Yes
South Fork River Trail
South Fork River Trail, 2677 Laboratory Rd., Lincolnton
This trail runs along the South Fork of the Catawba River in the 324-acre Rhyne Preserve. The natural surface and crushed gravel trail is perfect for a light hike.
- Difficulty: 🥾
- Length: 3.6-mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: Portions
- Pet-friendly: Yes
Grandfather Mountain State Park
Grandfather Mountain State Park, 9872 Highway 105 S., Banner Elk
The park showcases a stunning mountain range while offering intermediate to challenging trails for outdoor lovers.
- Difficulty: 🥾 to 🥾🥾🥾
- Length: 1 mile to 4.2-mile loop.
- Wheelchair accessible: Portions
- Pet-friendly: Yes
Pisgah National Forest
Pisgah National Forest, 600 Pisgah Hwy., Pisgah Forest
There are 471 trails in Pisgah National Forest. According to users from AllTrails.com, the best place to hike is Looking Glass Rock Trail, which has a 4.7-star rating from 7,324 reviews. This trail is 6.1 miles long with an elevation gain of 1,683 ft.
- Difficulty: 🥾 to 🥾🥾🥾
- Length: 1 mile to 61 miles long
- Wheelchair accessible: Portions
- Pet-friendly: Yes
Catawba Falls Trail
Catawba Falls, 3074 Catawba River Rd., Old Fort
Hike the Catawba Falls Trail east of Asheville while trekking through a forest valley to a series of waterfalls on the Catawba River.
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 2.7-mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: Portions
- Pet-friendly: Yes
Crabtree Falls on the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway
Crabtree Falls, 39000 Blue Rdg Pkwy., Marion
Take a detour from cruising the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway for a moderate hike to reach a cascading waterfall well worth the steps.
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 3-mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: No
- Pet-friendly: Yes
Gorges State Park
Gorges State Park, 976 Grassy Ridge Rd., Sapphire
Hiking in Gorges State Park is a feast for the eyes, boasting plunging waterfalls, rugged river gorges, and sheer rock precipices.
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾 to 🥾🥾🥾
- Length: 56-mile trail length
- Wheelchair accessible: Portions
- Pet-friendly: Yes
DuPont State Recreational Forest
DuPont State Recreational Forest, 89 Buck Forest Rd., Cedar Mountain
Visitors will enjoy a day of hiking while setting their sights on numerous waterfalls + stunning views.
- Difficulty: 🥾🥾
- Length: 5.8-mile loop
- Wheelchair accessible: Portions
- Pet-friendly: Yes
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Oconaluftee Visitor Center, 1194 Newfound Gap Rd., Cherokee
Straddling the North Carolina—Tennessee border, the park offers stunning beauty on the trails of these Appalachian Mountains. Plus, you’re likely to spot herds of elk at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and the Cataloochee valley.
- Difficulty: 🥾 to 🥾🥾🥾
- Length: 800+ miles of trails
- Wheelchair accessible: Portions
- Pet-friendly: Yes
Get the right gear
Get the most out of your trip with comfortable, handy, and helpful hiking gear:
- This extra roomy fanny pack — from Chattanooga, TN-based company Burlaep — can carry all the gadgets and accessories you need for your hike.
- For the best footwear, check out Nordstrom Rack’s sneaker edit for hiking.
- If your trail demands a proper hiking boot, we like Columbia’s collection on Amazon.
- For apparel that’s both flattering and functional, we turn to small business Aesthetic Built. We love the oversized scuba hoodies for women and the muscle scallop tees for men.
- Sweat sustainably with SEAAV. Their activewear is not only performance-driven but also planet-friendly.
- Travel light (but still have room for snacks) with lululemon’s Everywhere Belt Bag.
- Get a good bulk deal on Perfect Bars, Clif Bars, or Kind Bars at a warehouse store like Sam’s Club.
- Whether it’s the Active Essentials Kit or the Vegan Victory Set, Fuel Goods delivers the goods to keep you going.
Don’t forget to bring a compact, portable phone charger (you’ll thank us later).
- Bringing along your 4-legged friend? Hike in style with a new collar and leash.
- We like this Teton hiking backpack.
- We like this lightweight water bottle.
- Sweat sustainably with SEAAV. Their activewear is not only performance-driven but also planet-friendly.
- Whether it’s the Active Essentials Kit or the Vegan Victory Set, Fuel Goods delivers the goods to keep you going.
Psst — to be ultra-prepared, here are the 10 items you should never enter a national park without, according to the National Park Service.
