Nearby Hiking Recommendations

LOOKOUT - MONTREAT 
Difficulty: Short, steep. Brief rock scramble to iconic views. Extend the out-and-back hike by winding down Old Trestle Road Loop, a narrow-gauge rail grade (early 1900s) that once hauled timber and sightseers. Today it’s a rhododendron corridor—cool shade in summer, blooms in late spring, foliage show in fall, open views in winter.

CATAWBA FALLS - OLD FORT 
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. Great views with a 100 ft waterfall. A mellow, shaded walk to the falls reveals a true choose-your-own-adventure beyond. Hike options: 1) Out and back to waterfall 2) Up stairs to Upper Falls Overlook 3) Ridge Loop. Walk along the river where ruins of a 1907 hydro project that once lit the town of Old Fort line today’s trail. 

**The stairs are relatively new, here was a review that made me giggle after I first hiked it with stairs:

CHIMNEY ROCK
Difficulty: Varies based on trail. Hike options: 1) Stairs (or elevator) to the granite monolith with sweeping views down the gorge 2) Skyline Trail 3) Hickory Nut Falls Trail (waterfall). In 1902, Dr. Lucius Morse saw the monolith on horseback, bought the cliff, and set about cutting stairs—and later an elevator through the mountain—so anyone could stand in the gorge wind.

View all hikes on AllTrails.com.