Pisgah National Forest
Please be advised, as of 03/26/25: The Shining Rock Wilderness Area, within the Pisgah National Forest, is currently closed due to wildfire activity.
The Pisgah National Forest is a land of mile-high peaks, cascading waterfalls, and heavily forested slopes. Comprised of over 500,000 acres, the Pisgah is primarily a hardwood forest with whitewater rivers, waterfalls and hundreds of miles of trails. The National Forest offers excellent recreational opportunities year-round. Containing over a thousand miles of trails and wilderness areas, it is a hiker’s dream in any season. In warmer weather, its rivers and streams provide excellent fishing, boating, and whitewater sports.
Three fish hatcheries in the National Forest raise more than a half million brook, brown, and rainbow trout annually which are used to stock public mountain trout waters in the North Carolina mountains.
This national forest is home of the first tract of land purchased under the Weeks Act of 1911 which led to the creation of the national forests in the eastern United States. It is also home of the first school of forestry in the United States, now preserved at the Cradle of Forestry in America historic site, and boasts two of the first designated wilderness areas in the east. The Pisgah, Grandfather and Appalachian Ranger Districts are scattered along the eastern edge of the mountains of western North Carolina and offer visitors a variety of opportunities for outdoor recreation and enjoying the natural beauty of the mountains.
Hiking Trails
If you’d like to explore some of the trails within the Pisgah National Forest swing by our Visitor Center in Maggie Valley to purchase a Pisgah Ranger District Map and check out some hikes like these: Art Loeb Trail, Pink Beds Trail, Cat Gap Loop, and Sam Knob.
