This weekend, my family and I decided to explore Jump Off Rock in North Carolina since the weather…read morewas nice. Jump Off Rock--located about 15 minutes from Hendersonville, NC--is a scenic overlook of Western North Carolina with three easy hiking trails, making it a perfect spot to enjoy a sunny day. There is complimentary parking, easy-to-follow trails that are hiker-friendly for all ages, benches to enjoy the scenic outlook, and wheelchair accessibility. Once my family arrived, we enjoyed the magnificent view of the Western North Carolina mountain range, taking photos of the scenery and personal selfies together. There is a drawing of the mountain range that identifies which mountains you are looking at. I found this very helpful since I could finally put names to the mountains in front of my eyes. After admiring the amazing view, we took the three hikes Jump Off Rock offers. The trails are fairly easy, ranging from 0.25 to 1 mile. They are easy to access, located on the left and right sides of the parking lot. The paths are simple to follow and not too dangerous for occasional hikers and their furry friends. While we were there, my family and I saw two deer on the path, which was really cool. Altogether, the three trails took us around 30 minutes at an average pace. Just a quick note--there are no restrooms or portable toilets at Jump Off Rock. I recommend stopping in Hendersonville or at a gas station before making your journey. If it's a nice day or you just want to get out of the house, I highly recommend visiting Jump Off Rock to enjoy the scenic overlook of the Western North Carolina mountain range and reconnect with nature.

jump off rock was a decently pretty view we saw some people taking family pics definitely good idea…read morebut i wouldn't go again i would have rather used my time to go on a hike or something else

This is a great park with lots of winding trails - some paved, some gravel. Pavilions for picnics…read moreand barbecues, a restroom, great place to take dogs. Beautiful scenery and lots of birds.

Love this playground for kids of ages 2-6 is awesome…read more Fun rock climbing, nets, and slides for all. Clean restrooms and picnic tables. Awesome walking trails Great parking

We spent the weekend in Brevard and wanted to check out several waterfalls in Western NC. Having…read morehiked in Gorges State Park the previous day, where the trail was more rigorous, we appreciated that the trails to Hooker Falls and High Falls were relatively flat and easy. We probably could have gone to some of the others but they were farther away. We actually started at the parking area near Hooker Falls and eventually drove over to the main center and walked the trail to High Falls. We enjoyed our visit early on a Sunday before it got too crowded. A very nice visit.

Great park with a variety of hiking trails and some beautiful waterfalls to check out. The trails…read moreare well marked, but you'll want to either download the trails map ahead of time from their website, or take a photo of the park map at the parking lot, because they don't have maps along the trails & there are several trails to chose from. We hiked to High Falls and Triple Falls (both beautiful!), which I would say are moderate-level difficulty due to the inclines & some portions of the trail are loose gravel. Easy for The Hubs and I, but a tad more of a challenge for my in-laws. There are some spots with rocks just the right size to sit on and have a rest if you need a break. There are restrooms at the High Falls trailhead parking lot, and a gift shop. I'm not sure about restrooms elsewhere in the park.

We actually never got to the waterfall itself. Didn't realize that reservations were necessary and…read morethat it's booked a week out in advance. They're only open on some days during some times to the public. The drive there was mostly gravel including a grafitti filled tunnel. Instead we ended up going to Little Bradley Falls Trail which was free and had a beautiful waterfall.

Nice close place Worth short drive and easy walk and was…read moreable to bring kids or older parents

Beautiful hike, fairly easy, multiple trails to choose from. Found a geocache while there.read more

I found this trail during a recent camping trip at Lake Lure and decided to run the trail rather…read morethan pound pavement. The trail head has ample parking and is well marked (directly across from Ingles). Before my jog I was taking in the well labeled and color coded map showing the multitude of trails, their difficulty levels and distances. As I was about to start my jog another jogger came off the trail. I asked about their route and they told me a similar route I was considering but mentioned they made a wrong turn and ended up on the nearby vacant golf course. Fast forward about 10 minutes and I find myself on said golf course. With that being said, the trails are gorgeous and vary in difficulty (heed caution on the Roller Coaster Trail - properly named). Nothing beats hitting the tree line and enjoying nature, in my opinion. There are about 3.3 total miles of trails and obviously that can be extended based on the trail layout. The Mountain View Trail was my favorite because there is a slight clearing and bench at the end where you can sit and enjoy the view. The Roller Coaster Trail was a beast with strenuous ups and downs. Trails were decently marked but there are some intersections that are a little confusing. There are a couple of trails that spur off the main trails that are private or not part of the main trail system making it a little confusing. About 1/2 of a mile (est) into the Mountain View Trail is a well groomed trail that forks to the left. That trail takes you to the gold course and is easily confused for the main trail. Enjoyable trail and area overall and I would definitely recommend and return.

My family and I stopped in here at Bent Creek experimental for us this weekend while we were in…read moreAsheville North Carolina. We stopped in to go hiking because Asheville is known for their hike so we went hiking through the woods looking at the animals seeing the trees it is exploring a big fan of exploring trying to get my family to enjoy it as much as I can but it's tough at times. My kids get tired of walking and they get over it pretty quickly but we still enjoyed it overall quick little fun experimental forest walk that we had. Took some fun pictures had a good time I recommend it for sure

This is a great place to go if you're in Asheville and don't have all day to spend driving to a…read morelocation and doing a hike. It's located just off Brevard Road in South West Asheville. There are a bunch of different hiking and biking trails that twist and turn through this area. There is also a campground located here and a small lake to walk around, or swim in during the warm month. The hiking trails are well maintained and easy to navigate. You could definitely get lost in here if you weren't paying attention, but trails are blazed and marked well. You can park at any of the little parking lots and just jump on a trail and start walking. Trails are marked for hiking or biking so if you prefer to hike on a trail with no bikers, look for one marked as so. These trails can get pretty busy on weekends and summer but for good reason. They are easily accessible from Asheville and are a nice getaway. I love spending a day here just wandering the trails. The only reason I give Bent Creek 4 stars instead of 5 is because there are no big views or waterfalls. That's OK though, still a great place!

A++ to the community of folks who have preserved this area! We were one of three folks exploring on…read morea mid afternoon weekday. It's serene, peaceful and just so happens to be apart of the Palmetto trail system - look it up!

Beautiful, low traffic trail to get a good walk around 2 ponds at. The trail connects to the longer…read morePalmetto trail which crosses the state. The Preserve offers moderate inclines in mostly gravel trail with some steeper areas after the first 1.5 miles. Lovely birds, restored land (following a kudzu cleanup), running water, and a waterfall (I didnt go far enough to see that). Limited parking and no restrooms. I'll definitely go back as long as I can get there early.

OH. My. GOSH!!!!…read more This is definitely the most challenging hike I've ever done. AND well worth the views. If you don't regularly do strenuous hikes be prepared to get your booty handed to you . So many kind and encouraging people along the trail.

Great hikes here! Breathtaking views!…read moreLittle water holes to cool off everywhere along most all the trails! Just gotta watch out for snakes! 8.5 Pinnacle mntn trail hike [insert check mark here]