We are so excited for the new beginnings that 2020 has to offer, especially hiking North Carolina trails. We love looking ahead and setting goals in a lot of different areas of life (even travel!). One area that people set goals in is being active and getting outdoors. Most of the time it is good to take little steps as you begin a journey and after time you will look back and see just how far you have come. That is definitely true when it comes to getting out in nature.

It would be great if we could all just jump out and do a 12-mile hike, up-hill, both ways, but that just isn’t realistic. You might get through it but you will be miserable and won’t want to do it ever again. However, if you start out small and build up – your love for the outdoors and hiking will only grow. Your hike distance will grow with it!

Many of you have asked what are some good trails to get started on if you are a newbie to hiking or getting outside. We wanted to put together a list of 10 great hiking trails to get you started in the North Carolina State Parks. Now, you might not always call these hikes. Some are just strolls through nature – but the goal is to get out, start getting active, fall in love with being outside, and seeing some of the most beautiful places in North Carolina.

We tried to come up with trails in the three different regions of North Carolina so you could get a good feel for all the state has to offer. As a general rule, it would be good to start in the Piedmont or Coastal regions and work your way up to the mountains, but you just go at your own pace an enjoy! So here we go with 10 easy North Carolina State Park trails to start off 2020.

Upper Cascades Trail – Hanging Rock

Hanging Rock State Park has a ton of wonderful hiking trails. This truly is a great place to spend a weekend camping, hiking, and swimming. A really great starter trail is the Upper Cascades. This trail is a little under half a mile there and back. The path is smooth and wide with very little incline. When you get to the end of the trail you are greeted with a really nice waterfall viewing area. This is a great place to sit and relax as the water comes rushing over. You can take the steps all the way down to the base of the waterfall and enjoy the pool. We loved walking down the stream in between the rocks as well (it gets slippery). Most people go to the Hanging Rock Trail (and you should) but don’t miss this one!

Jomeokee Trail – Pilot Mountain

This trail might be the most fun one to say out loud. We love this trail for a bunch of different reasons. The main reason is when we went everyone was at the Pilot Mountain overlook and NOBODY was on this trail, we had it all to ourselves! This is a .8 mile loop trail that lets you walk around the base of the Pilot Mountain dome. From here you get some incredible views of the surrounding areas, it is truly spectacular. You are at eye level with the birds soaring around the area. This trail begins with about 30 stairs down (which you have to climb back up) but besides that the inclines are not too bad. They do have a nice bench area right before you get to the base of the dome. Definitely check this one out, it is a good mountain starter trail!

Rockefeller Loop Trail – Carvers Creek

The Rockefeller Loop Trail is one of the longest trails on this list at around two miles. However, because there are a ton of different places to stop along the way it doesn’t seem like that far. This is in the Sandhills so the ground is nice and flat and the trails are soft and wide. This was the summer home of James S. Rockefeller and you can walk around the grounds and learn about the man through the wonderful placards placed there.

Summit Trail – Mount Jefferson

Ok, this one isn’t an easy trail. It is actually listed as strenuous. It definitely has a steep incline. However, this is a very short trail at .3 miles and it takes you to the summit of Mount Jefferson (once owned by Thomas Jefferson himself). If you can make it up to the top you are met with a pretty great payoff with the view. And, it is downhill on the way back! Along the way there are some beautiful rhododendrons and other vegetation (including some crazy looking mushrooms). For another short summit trail, check out Mount Mitchell.

Pine Barren’s Trail – Weymouth Woods

We have been to Weymouth Woods a couple of times. The first time we were underwhelmed but the second time we really enjoyed ourselves. The Pine Barren’s Trail was the reason why. This trail is a mile long trail through the longleaf pines of the Sandhills. If you want to add a little more distance, you can catch the Gum Swamp Trail for an additional half-mile. Both of these trails are pretty easy and take you by some pretty landscape, and water. If you can, check it out in the fall. The colors there are ridiculous.

Cypress Point Trail – Merchants Millpond

This trail is one of the most beautiful and unique trails in all of North Carolina. It is also short at .33 miles. This one takes you through the swampy Merchants Millpond, and yes, there are gators here. Cypress Point takes you right along the shoreline on an awesome boardwalk. There are so many different shades of green here in the trees, on the ground, and in the water. The Cypress trees are massive and give you a very different look in North Carolina. If you want a little longer trail, the two-mile long Coleman Trail is right next to it. We would recommend checking them both out.

Habitat Adventure Trail – Medoc Mountain

This trail is different from other trails on this list because it is geared towards kids. This is a Kid’s Track Trail that has a ton of different stops along the way to teach kids about nature. All of the stops are super interactive and do a great job letting kids (and adults) have fun while learning. This is easily the nicest Kid’s Track Trail in the State Park System. At half a mile, it is not too long. The trail is flat and paved the whole way. Definitely check this out if you have kids.

Lake Shore Trail – Pettigrew

This is another nice trail that is attached to history. At only .25 miles it is also one of the shortest trails on the list. This trail takes you along part of the shore of Lake Phelps, the second-biggest natural lake in North Carolina. There is an awesome pier leading out to the lake on this trail with ladders into the water. This is a great place to jump in and enjoy the sandy bottom lake against your toes. This trail leads to Somerset Place, a plantation built in the 1780’s. The state has done a fantastic job in renovating the grounds. It is a beautiful place to learn about history, the people, and the architecture of the era. They also have some farm animals to look at.

Mayo Beach Access Trail – Mayo River

We are not sure that there is an actual name for this trail, but it is located at the Mayo Beach Access at Mayo River State Park. This trail takes you to one of the most beautiful spots in North Carolina, the Fall Creek Waterfall area. The first time we went here we had no idea we were going to be hiking to such an unexpected treasure. Maybe that is why we love it so much. It is maybe a five minute hike to the waterfall from the parking area and you can continue past the falls all the way to the North Carolina/Virginia state line. However, you don’t want to miss climbing all over this beautiful multi-rock layered waterfall or getting in the pool at the bottom. This is still a hidden gem, so many times you will have the place all to yourselves!

Graylyn Multi-Use Trail – Umstead

This is a pretty hard trail to find but if you can find it, you will get to see some really great stuff! In order to get there, you need to come in the Crabtree Creek Entrance off of Highway 70, take a left on Maintenance Rd., a right on Group Camp Rd., and a left on Sycamore Rd. At the end of Sycamore there is a parking area where you can get on a spur trail of the Graylyn M.U.T. When the spur trail dead ends take a left and you are there. This will take you by some old abandoned buildings and the coolest chainsaw tree art you will ever see. You can spend hours here admiring the artwork on this thing. They do ask that you don’t climb all over it, but besides that, it is wide open. This is a great place for some pictures and inspiration. It is like you are going on a treasure hunt through the woods.

Those are our 10 Easy North Carolina State Park Trails to start off 2020. We hope that if you are new to the parks system that these will be a great way for you to get motivated to go on even bigger trails. Have you ever been on any of these? Which one is your favorite? Are you planning on tackling any on the list this year?

Thanks for stopping by and we hope you have fun as you Go The Adventure Way on these incredible trails!

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