North Carolina, boasts an array of opportunities to get outside on a walk or hike, whether you're a thru-hiker tackling the Appalachian Trail or a family looking for some magic in the woods.

Earl Shaffer / Earl Shaffer Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History One of Earl Shaffer’s slides shows the crestline boundary between North Carolina and Tennessee.

Still, more than 3,000 people attempt to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail every year, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Only a quarter ... Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia ...

In 2025, the Appalachian Trail, the longest hiking-only footpath in the world, celebrates 100 years of measuring the skills, endurance and heart of thousands of intrepid adventurers.