North Carolina has one of the best State Park Systems in the entire country. Altogether, there are 41 State Parks from the mountains to the coast. They are diverse and full of beauty. You can go hunting for waterfalls in the mountain parks, play on the water at one of the Piedmont parks, or stick your feet in the sand at one of the beach parks. We are blessed to be from a state where there is so much beauty in the State Parks, and, most of them are free! There are so many great North Carolina State Park Hikes.
We have visited all of the parks that North Carolina has to offer and hiked most of their trails. We wanted to put together a list of some of our favorite trails (in no particular order) that you definitely need to check out. There is no method to this list, just some great North Carolina state park hikes to seek out and explore. Check it out and let us know how many you have hiked.
Elliott Coues Nature Trail
You can find the Elliott Coues trail in Fort Macon State Park outside of Atlantic Beach. When you think of the beach, you don’t normally think of hiking. However, this trail will make you change your mind. This trail starts at the main parking area and takes you on a 3.2 mile loop through the park.
Elliott Coues travels through the dunes along the ocean. You don’t get to hike through dunes too often, so take advantage of this. Along the way there are a bunch of little spur trails that take you up higher on the dunes. Definitely do that. From the top you have spectacular views across the sound to Morehead City on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other.
Throughout the trail you are walking in a maritime forest. These trees are beautiful and make you feel like you are walking through a cave. The sound side offers great wildlife viewing, especially birds. Though people typically go to the beach in the summer, we think this is a great park to visit in the winter months. That sun would be pretty hot walking through those dunes in summer.
Stone Mountain Loop Trail
The Stone Mountain Loop Trail is located in, you guessed it, Stone Mountain State Park. Stone Mountain is in Roaring Gap, NC about a half hour drive northwest from Elkin. Stone Mountain is a magnificent granite dome with a 600-foot rock face, like nothing else in North Carolina.
The reason why we love this trail so much is because of all that it offers. This is a 4.5 mile loop with multiple parking areas. This makes it easy for you to park and hike to a particular point of interest, but we recommend doing the whole thing. There are three main attractions on this trail.
The Hutchinson Homestead is located on this trail. This is a well preserved homestead from the 1800’s. There are plenty of volunteers here to answer any questions and they often have people in costumes teaching about life on the homestead. There are some great views of the mountain from here.
Another great aspect of this trail is the waterfall. Stone Mountain Falls is a 200-ft. waterfall that is pretty unique. It is almost like a slide, just too steep to slide down. You can take a little spur trail and get to the middle falls and lower falls if you have the time and energy.
The highlight of the trail though is Stone Mountain itself. This trail takes you all the way to the top. It is steep in some areas, but it is worth it. The views are amazing from the top. It is a great place to sit, rest, and contemplate the big things in life.
We like to hike this trail from the Upper Trailhead Parking Lot and going towards the summit first. That way, we do the tough part of the trail early and can cruise at the end.
Buckquarter Creek and Holden Mill Trails
Eno River State Park is a hiker’s park. There are close to 28 miles of trails at this park and most of them are super fun. One of our favorite trail combinations at this park is the Buckquarter Creek and Holden Mill Trails. Together, these two trails are 4.1 miles. You can get on the Buckquarter Creek Trail from the main visitor’s center, but it is probably best to pick it up at the Piper-Cox museum.
On the Buckquarter you will get the best views of the rapids that flow through along the Eno. There are some really great viewpoints at the top of the staircases. These are not too far from the parking lot, so if you just want to see those, it is about a quarter-mile. We recommend going to the 1.5-mile mark so you can pick up the Holden Mill Trail.
Holden Mill takes you past the remnants of one of the many mills that used to be in this area. It really isn’t too much to look at. But, there are some great places to get out on the rocks in the water. Be careful, it moves quick in some spots. Use common sense. The trail near the water is one of our favorite trails we have been on in North Carolina. There are giant boulders, rock walls and outcrops, and some pretty tough terrain that you get to scramble over. We were not expecting that, so it made it extra fun.
Sugarloaf Trail
Sugarloaf is another great trail on the coast. This one is in Carolina Beach State Park. This park is located in Carolina Beach, just not on the ocean. It is on the Cape Fear River and the Intracoastal Waterway. There are plenty of beaches here and sand dunes though.
The Sugarloaf Trail is a 3 mile loop that takes off from the marina. Once you get on the trail, there are numerous spur trails that you can get on, but the loop itself is plenty good. This trail actually has a little elevation change because you are going up and down sand dunes (not a ton, but it definitely is not flat).
What makes this trail so cool is it takes you by the beach along the water. It is different than the ocean, no waves, but you can sit out here and relax and watch the boats go by. Sugarloaf Dune is what you hike to on this trail. Make sure you climb the top and then back on the other side by the water. A fantastic spot. On the other side of Sugarloaf Dune there are tons of smaller dunes that you can run all around.
Profile Trail
The Profile Trail is one of the more intense trails on this list, but you can do it if you are prepared for it. This trail is located in Grandfather Mountain State Park. The trailhead is at the Profile Trail parking area at 4198 NC Highway 105 N. We drove by it like four times the first time we hiked here, so keep your eyes peeled. This is not part of the Grandfather Mountain attraction, but you can hike to there from here.
This trail is so beautiful. There are so many mountain laurels, water features, bridges, wildflowers, and views along this 3.6 mile hike (one way). Most hikers can do the first two miles pretty easily, from there it gets more strenuous. The most strenuous part of it all is the last half mile. If you can do this though you will be able to join the Grandfather Trail and hike all the way up to some super fun ladder trails. It is probably better to start from the top by the mile-high swinging bridge if you are only interested in this part.
Princess Ann Trail
Ok, we are just as surprised as you are seeing a trail from Lumber River State Park on this list. However, the Princess Ann Trail really snuck up on us and we enjoyed our time hiking this trail. The trail is 1.5 miles, but to get to it you hike another half-mile and if you add the couple of loops around it you can get up to 2.5 miles total.
There are three things that stood out to us with this trail. The first is it goes by the Lumber River and gives you some excellent views of the water. The second is the boardwalks that you walk on and access (bring a fishing pole if you have one). The third is the incredible mossy trails that you walk on during the loop part of the trail. It is like you are walking through a magical carpeted forest. Walking on the moss just makes everything so quiet, and we have yet to see anyone else on this trail.
We are not recommending making a trip to Lumber River State Park just for this trail. However, if you are in the area or are trying to fill up your passport book, make sure this is on your itinerary for the day. Though this is not one of our favorite parks, it is a pretty cool and unique trail. Goes to show you that every park has a redeeming quality. That is what makes them so amazing!
Balsam Nature Trail
This is the shortest trail on the list but it is the highest elevation of them all. The reason for that is because this trail is located at the top of Mt. Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi River. The trail takes you from the peak of the mountain on a mini-loop back to the parking lot at the summit. In total the trail is only .75 miles. Most people miss it though because they think the best part of going to the top is the observation platform, we would disagree. This trail is where it is at.
When you are on this trail it feels like you have been transported to the Pacific Northwest. You are actually in a temperate rain forest on this trail because of the amount of rain that falls here. Crazy, but true. The trail is covered in more shades of green than you will ever see anywhere. The moss is electric. There are also plenty of fir trees that are super cool to walk through. This is fairytale woods stuff.
Make sure you dress warmly, no matter the time of year you go. We have been when it was under 40 degrees in the middle of summer.
Goose Creek Trail
The Goose Creek Trail is in Goose Creek State Park in Washington, NC. This is one of our favorite Inner Banks towns and the State Park is a big reason for that. The Goose Creek Trail runs right through the middle of the park, connecting the Pamlico River to Goose Creek. Make sure you check out the short .3 mile Live Oak Trail on the Pamlico side. There you will find some of the most beautiful live oaks decorated with Spanish moss that you will ever see.
The trail itself is a two-mile one way trail that takes you through some really pretty landscape. There are a couple of spectacular boardwalks in swampy areas along with some great forest sections. This is a flat trail, easy for anyone to hike, but be careful if has been raining a lot. You will get muddy! Just adds to the experience.
Rainbow Falls Trail
This trail might be the best trail in all of North Carolina and definitely one of the great North Carolina state park hikes. It offers so much. This will challenge a lot of people, but it is one that can be done. This trail is considered strenuous by the Park System and some have said they don’t agree with that. We think the reason for that is because people have not hiked a ton of trails in the Park System. Compared to many others in the system, this one is more difficult, hence the strenuous designation. It is tough, not the toughest ever.
The Rainbow Falls Trail is located in Gorges State Park in Sapphire. This is one of the most gorgeous parks we have been to in the United States. So much beauty here. This is a 1.5 mile hike one way to the magnificent Rainbow Falls. Along the way there are plenty of elevation gains, tons of steps that are pretty steep, and incredible views everywhere you look. The trail takes you by Horse Pasture River with its many cascades and rock outcroppings. Plenty of places to stop and relax.
The highlight of this trail are the two waterfall. Rainbow Falls and Turtleback Falls. Rainbow Falls is where the trail officially ends, and it is 1.5 miles from the trailhead. If you climb up the steps to the top of Rainbow Falls, you can continue another quarter mile and get to Turtleback Falls. These are two of the best waterfalls in the state, for different reasons. Make sure you pack some shoes that can get wet.
This trail is one of the most difficult to get to because Gorges is so far west, but it is one that every N.C. State Park fan must do once.
Campbell Creek Loop Trail
This trail is located in Raven Rock State Park outside of Lillington. When going to Raven Rock, everyone heads off to the Raven Rock Trail. You should definitely do that at least once in your life (really, multiple times), but our favorite trail at this park is the Campbell Creek Loop Trail.
This is a really scenic 4.5 mile hike that seemingly transports you from the Piedmont to the mountains of North Carolina. For the majority of the trip, you hike along Campbell Creek. We recommend going after a lot of rain because the creek gets pretty high and moves quick in some spots. Along the way, you will be able to climb all over rocks, see a couple of water (trickles) falls, and sweet bridges. It really is like you are in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
This is the only way that you can get to the Lanier Falls Trail as well. This is a little quarter mile spur trail that takes you to the Falls. These are actually cascades in the river, but they are pretty cool, especially for this area of North Carolina. This is a great spot to take a break and enjoy some lunch. There is some elevation change on this trail, so be prepared for this.
That’s it! Our list of 10 Great North Carolina State Park Hikes for you to get lost in the woods (or dunes). We had to cut a ton of trails off of this list, so we will be putting together another list or two soon. How many of them have you been on? Which ones would you add to the list? Maybe they will make the next post?
If you are traveling to any of our wonderful State Parks, check out our guides for them on the blog. Maybe start with Gorges, Raven Rock, or Carolina Beach? Hope to see you on the trails going the adventure way!
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