North Carolina Trail Resources

 

North Carolina Agencies

 

For information on North Carolina's State Parks and trails: http://ils.unc.edu/parkproject/ncparks.html

The NC Office of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation has maps, projects, events, and funding info: www.ncdot.org/transit/bicycle/

Visit the Official Site for North Carolina's National Forests: http://ncnatural.com/NCUSFS/index.html

Recreation on the Nantahala, Pisgah, Croatan and Uwharrie National Forests: www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/

The Great Outdoors Resources Page (GORP) has information on North Carolina's National Forests: www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/US_National_Forest/soeast.HTM

National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, provides trails as well as hunting, fishing, wildlife observation; see refuges in North Carolina: http://www.fws.gov/refuges/refugeLocatorMaps/NorthCarolina.html

National Park Service units in North Carolina: http://data2.itc.nps.gov/parksearch/state.cfm?st=nc

 

 

North Carolina National Recreation Trails

 

Find all National Recreation Trails in North Carolina: select North Carolina from the State Search list and click on "Find Trails"
Visit North Carolina's "Featured" National Recreational Trails for the most recently designated trail(s)
Visit the National Recreation Trails website to learn more about the NRT program and access over 1,050 NRTs from across the country

North Carolina Bicycling and Mountain Biking

 

Mountain bike trails with detailed maps and descriptions from North Carolina mountain biking books at Trails.com:

• Mountain Biking Trails in North Carolina

North Carolina bike rides on roads and paved pathways from road biking books at Trails.com:

• Road Bike Rides in North Carolina

Blue Ridge Bicycle Club lists recommended mountain bike rides in Pisgah National Forest: www.blueridgebicycleclub.org/

Brushy Mountain Cyclists Club, Wilkesboro, NC, has built 6 miles of mountain bike trails near the W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir in partnership with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers: www.bmcc.us/

East Coast Greenway is a project to link seabord states with trails and on-road routes; information is available for all traversed states: ME, NH, Massachusetts, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, DC, VA, NC, SC, GA, and FL: www.greenway.org/

North Carolina Bicycle Club (NCBC) site is another center for information: http://ncbikeclub.org/

Pisgah Area SORBA volunteers put in 2,017 work hours on the trails in Pisgah National Forest,in 2008; get involved: www.pisgahareasorba.org

Tarheel Trailblazers is the Charlotte area mountain bike club: www.tarheeltrailblazers.com/

TriangleMTB.com covers Mountain Biking in the Triangle Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill region: www.trianglemtb.com/

Uwharrie Mountain Bike Association works to establish and develop mountain bike riding opportunities in central North Carolina's Uwharrie National Forest: www.sorbauwharrie.org/

North Carolina Equestrian Trails

 

The Horse Trails and Campground Directory has information on bridle paths, trailheads, horse campgrounds, overnight stay facilities, and bed & breakfasts

The North Carolina Horse Council works to represent and further the common interest of the entire equine industry of North Carolina

 

North Carolina Greenways and Community Trails

 

Carolina Thread Trail is a regional network of greenways and trails that will reach 15 counties: www.carolinathreadtrail.org

Catawba Valley Heritage Alliance, a conservation and recreation advocacy group in the HickoryMetro area is working to develop a four county regional greenway/river trail masterplan: www.heritagealliance.org

Durham has a wide variety of trails and greenways at: www.ci.durham.nc.us/departments/planning/

Gastonia Greenway: Avon Creek joins Catawba Creek in Gastonia, NC: http://home.earthlink.net/~greenwaybob/gastoniagreenway.html

Greensboro has over 65 miles of trail in greenways and natural surface trails which surround the city's reservoirs: www.greensboro-nc.gov/Departments/Parks.htm

Bicentennial Greenway is 16 mile trail planned multi-use connection between High Point City Lake and the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park when completed: http://gcms0004.co.guilford.nc.us/webapps/parks/info.asp?id=9

Sauratown Trails Association maintains 40 miles of horseback riding and hiking trails in north-central North Carolina from Pilot Mtn to Hanging Rock: www.sauratowntrails.org

Raleigh's Neuse River greenway corridor: www.treklite.com/neuse/

Triangle Greenways Council site has many maps and trail descriptions for the Raleigh region: www.trianglegreenways.org/

Yadkin River Greenway goes from the Kerr Scott Reservoir through the Wilkesboros with extensions proposed: http://www.yadkinrivergreenway.com/

North Carolina Hiking Trails

 

Hiking trail maps, hike descriptions, and topographic maps at Trails.com:

• Hiking Trails in North Carolina

Along the Blue Ridge Parkway's 469 miles are over 100 hiking trails keyed to parkway mile markers with difficulty rating, length, and photos: www.brptrails.com/

Carolina Mountain Club promotes conservation, hiking, and trail building and maintenance: www.carolinamtnclub.com/

DuPont State Forest Trails maps and descriptions of hiking trails:www.dupontforest.com/trails.asp

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: more than 70 trails, including trail descriptions, key features, pictures, maps, and elevation profiles: HikingintheSmokys.com

For several descriptions of Highlands Area trails: www.highlandsinfo.com/hiking.htm

Nantahala Hiking Club has the responsibility of maintaining the Appalachian Trail from the Georgia state line 60 miles north to the Nantahala River: www.maconcommunity.org/nhc/

Piedmont Appalachian Trail Hikers site provides a newsletter and information on events and trail maintenance: www.editorialservice.com/path/

American Volkssport Association year-round walking and Volkssport Event Calendar

North Carolina Long-Distance Trails

 

Hiking trails along the Appalachian Trail (AT) in North Carolina at Trails.com:

• Appalachian Trail Hiking in North Carolina

The 88 miles of Appalachian Trail in western North Carolina offers panoramic views, deep forests, and a feeling of remoteness

The planned 273-mile Benton MacKaye Trail, who inspired the creation of the Appalachian Trail, will extend from Springer Mountain, GA, through Cherokee National Forest in TN and the GreAugust 9, 2007il: www.bmta.org/

Great Eastern Trail plans to link existing trails alongthe Appalachian Mountains from Alabama to the Finger Lakes Trail in New York: www.greateasterntrail.net/

Mountains to Sea Trail is a 900+ mile trail consisting of footpaths, roads, and state bike routes that is plannedd to reach across North Carolina: www.ncmst.org/

North Carolina Off-Highway Vehicle Trails

 

Southern Four Wheel Drive Association provides land use information, events, contacts, education, and photos: www.sfwda.org/

The Upper Tellico OHV Area is located just inside the North Carolina border in the Nantahala National Forest: http://www.4x4Wire.com/4x4/trail/report/nc/gsmtr00/

North Carolina Rail Trails and Canal Trails

 

North Carolina Rail Trails has a very informative and visually well-done site that includes information on preserving railroad corridors as well as ongoing trail development: http://www.ncrailtrails.org/

The proposed Overhills Rail-Trail Project would follow the Cape Fear & Yadkin Valley Railway through the former Rockefeller family estate at Overhills, Harnett and Cumberland Counties http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pfwilson/overhills2.html:

The in-progress, 30-mile, American Tobacco Trail site has photos, news, and events: www.triangletrails.org/ATT.HTM

Virginia Creeper Trail runs 34.3 miles from Abingdon, Virginia, to the Virginia-North Carolina border: www.vacreepertrail.com/

North Carolina Snow Trails

 

North Carolina Waterway and Boating Trails

 

Canoeing, water trails, and other flatwater paddling routes on North Carolina lakes and rivers at Trails.com:

• Canoeing and Water Trails in North Carolina

North Carolina whitewater kayaking and rafting, with maps and launch points at Trails.com:

• Whitewater Kayaking and Rafting in North Carolina

North Carolina Statewide Advocacy and Resources

 

North Carolina sea kayaking routes with maps and launch points from kayaking books at Trails.com:

• Sea Kayaking Routes in North Carolina

North Carolina State Trails Program

 

Recreational Trails Program: Providing funding to all 50 states for grants programs and program management
State Trails Program contacts in all 50 states

North Carolina Outdoor Recreation

 

Fishing reports, maps, photos, and videos for every fishing spot in the USA: www.hookandbullet.com/s/fishing-north-carolina/