North Carolina High Peaks Trail Association & Friends of Mount Mitchell State Park

Start the New Year off on the right foot by joining NC High Peaks for their annual First Day Hike on Thursday, January 1, 2026. 

This year we will hike from the Buck Creek Gap Overlook to the Black Mountains Overlook. The 4.5-mile out-and-back hike is along the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and a Forest Service road and will include 650 feet of elevation gain. 

Recently John Whitehouse, one of the founders of NC High Peaks, was interviewed for a blog by Bernhardt Watch Company. Click here to read the full interview.

Join the NC High Peaks Trail Association for a fun hike along the Laurel River Trail near Marshall on Friday, December 12.

This 7.2-mile jaunt is relatively flat, but offers some nice views of river rapids, rock features and even the ruins of the old town of Runion. It’s an out-and-back hike along the Laurel River to its junction with the French Broad, and should take about 3 or 4 hours.

NC High Peaks will lead a hike on the Appalachian Trail along the eastern flank of Roan Mountain from Carvers Gap to Grassy Ridge Bald on Friday, November 21. Hikers will be treated to spectacular panoramic views of Grandfather, Beech and Sugar Mountains as well as Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountains.   

This relatively easy out-and-back hike will total five miles with 1,100 feet of elevation gain and should take three to four hours to complete. 

Join NC High Peaks for a hike on the Hawksbill Mountain Trail on Friday, November 7. Hikers will be rewarded with incredible 360-degree views of the Linville Gorge, Pisgah National Forest and Table Rock. It is a moderately challenging 2-3 mile hike with approximately 700 feet of elevation gain and some steep rocky sections. It should take approximately two hours to complete. 

Please join NC High Peaks Trail Association for a hike in the recently reopened Mount Mitchell State Park on Friday, October 24. This strenuous, six-mile loop hike will include a segment of the Black Mountain Crest Trail with amazing views of the fall colors in all directions. 

Please join the NC High Peaks Trail Association on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 10 a.m. in the Burnsville Town Center for our annual meeting. Our keynote speaker will be Frances Figart, Creative Director for “Smokies Life” magazine.

Her talk will be entitled, “Conservation Stories (Not Just for Kids)” and will give details about the Safe Passage road ecology project in the Pigeon River Gorge.

Come join High Peaks on Friday, October 10 for an easy to moderate hike at Lamar Alexander State Park, Flag Pond, Tn., about a 30-minute drive from Burnsville.

Fall foliage should be near its peak, and we’ll enjoy views of beautiful rock formations as we hike a fairly flat trail along Flint Creek with a possible additional loop trail before we turn around and return to the starting point. 

Mount Mitchell State Park reopened Sept. 15, 2025, for the first time since Hurricane Helene. The reopening coincides with the Blue Ridge Parkway reopening between milepost 382 in Asheville and milepost 355.3, near the entrance to the state park. With this announcement, all North Carolina state parks are now at least partially open.

Access to the park is only available from the south. The Blue Ridge Parkway from Mount Mitchell to the north is still closed to Mile Post 334 near Little Switzerland. 

NC High Peaks will lead hikers along the Black Mountain Crest Trail from Bolens Creek to Celo Knob on Friday, September 19. This is a very strenuous nine mile out and back hike with over 3000 feet of elevation gain, taking 6-7 hours to complete. Hikers should have a relatively high level of fitness and some experience hiking at elevation.