Agencies

For information on North Carolina's State Parks and trails: http://ils.unc.edu/parkproject/ncparks.html

The NC Office of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation has maps, projects, events, and funding info: http://www.ncdot.org/transit/bicycle/

Visit the Official Site for North Carolina's National Forests: http://ncnatural.com/NCUSFS/index.html

Recreation on the Nantahala, Pisgah, Croatan and Uwharrie National Forests: http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/

The Great Outdoors Resources Page (GORP) has information on North Carolina's National Forests: http://www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/US_National_Forest/soeast.HTM

National Park Service units in North Carolina: http://data2.itc.nps.gov/parksearch/state.cfm?st=nc

Bicycling and Mountain Biking

Mountain bike trails with detailed maps and descriptions from North Carolina mountain biking books at Trails.com:

• Mountain Biking Trails in North Carolina

North Carolina bike rides on roads and paved pathways from road biking books at Trails.com:

• Road Bike Rides in North Carolina

The Blue Ridge Bicycle Club lists recommended mountain bike rides in Pisgah National Forest: http://www.main.nc.us/BRBC/

Brushy Mountain Cyclists Club, Wilkesboro, NC, has built 6 miles of mountain bike trails near the W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir in partnership with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers: http://www.bmcc.us/

East Coast Greenway is a project to link seabord states with trails and on-road routes; information is available for all traversed states: ME, NH, Massachusetts, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, Washington DC, VA, NC, SC, GA, and FL: www.greenway.org/

The North Carolina Bicycle Club (NCBC) site is another center for information: http://ncbikeclub.org/

Tarheel Trailblazers is the Charlotte area mountain bike club: http://www.tarheeltrailblazers.com/

TriangleMTB.com covers Mountain Biking in the Triangle Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill region: http://www.trianglemtb.com/

The Uwharrie Mountain Bike Association works to establish and develop mountain bike riding opportunities in central North Carolina's Uwharrie National Forest: http://www.childrey.com/umba/index.html

Equestrian Trails

The Horse Trails and Campground Directory has information on bridle paths, trailheads, horse campgrounds, overnight stay facilities, and bed & breakfasts

The North Carolina Horse Council works to represent and further the common interest of the entire equine industry of North Carolina. 

Greenways and Community Trails

Catawba Valley Heritage Alliance, a conservation and recreation advocacy group in the HickoryMetro area is working to develop a four county regional greenway/river trail masterplan: http://www.heritagealliance.org

The city of Durham has a wide variety of trails and greenways at: http://www.ci.durham.nc.us/departments/planning/

Connect Gaston, Inc. is promoting a bicycle/pedestrian and greenway plan in the Gastonia, NC area: http://www.connectgaston.org/greenways/avonCatawbaCreek.htm

The city of Greensboro has over 65 miles of trail in greenways and natural surface trails which surround the city's reservoirs: http://www.ci.greensboro.nc.us/leisure/trails

The Bicentennial Greenway is 16 mile trail planned multi-use connection between High Point City Lake and the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park when completed: http://www.co.guilford.nc.us/government/planning/parks/greenway.html

The Sauratown Trails Association maintains 40 miles of horseback riding and hiking trails in north-central North Carolina from Pilot Mtn to Hanging Rock: http://www.sauratowntrails.org

Raleigh's Neuse River greenway corridor: http://www.treklite.com/neuse/

For a description of 19 trails in Raleigh's greenway system: http://www.trianglegreenways.org/raleigh2.htm

The Triangle Greenways Council site has many maps and trail descriptions for the Raleigh region: http://www.trianglegreenways.org/

Hiking Trails

Hiking trail maps, hike descriptions, and topographic maps at Trails.com:

• Hiking Trails in North Carolina

Along the Blue Ridge Parkway's 469 miles are over 100 hiking trails keyed to parkway mile markers with difficulty rating, length, and photos: www.brptrails.com/

Carolina Mountain Club promotes conservation, hiking, and trail building and maintenance: www.carolinamtnclub.com/

Environmental & Conservation Organization maps and describes hiking trails in DuPont State Forest: http://www.main.nc.us/eco/dsf/trails.html

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: more than 70 trails, including trail descriptions, key features, pictures, maps, and elevation profiles: HikingintheSmokys.com

For several descriptions of Highlands Area trails: www.highlandsinfo.com/hiking.htm

Nantahala Hiking Club has the responsibility of maintaining the Appalachian Trail from the Georgia state line 60 miles north to the Nantahala River: www.maconweb.com/nhc/

The Piedmont Appalachian Trail Hikers site provides a newsletter and information on events and trail maintenance: www.editorialservice.com/path/

American Volkssport Association year-round walking and Volkssport Event Calendar

Long-Distance Trails

Hiking trails along the Appalachian Trail (AT) in North Carolina at Trails.com:

• Appalachian Trail Hiking in North Carolina

The 88 miles of Appalachian Trail in western North Carolina offers panoramic views, deep forests, and a feeling of remoteness

The planned 273-mile Benton MacKaye Trail, who inspired the creation of the Appalachian Trail, will extend from Springer Mountain, GA, through Cherokee National Forest in TN and the GreAugust 9, 2007il: www.bmta.org/

The Mountains to Sea Trail is a 900+ mile trail consisting of footpaths, roads, and state bike routes that is plannedd to reach across North Carolina: www.ncmst.org/

Off-Highway Vehicle Trails

The ATV Connection describes several places to ride ATVs: http://www.atving.com/tmpl/ridearea/maride.cfm

Southern Four Wheel Drive Association provides land use information, events, contacts, education, and photos: www.sfwda.org/

The Upper Tellico OHV Area is located just inside the North Carolina border in the Nantahala National Forest: http://www.4x4Wire.com/4x4/trail/report/nc/gsmtr00/

Rail Trails and Canal Trails

North Carolina Rail Trails has a very informative and visually well-done site that includes information on preserving railroad corridors as well as ongoing trail development: http://www.NCRail-Trails.org

The proposed Overhills Rail-Trail Project would follow the Cape Fear & Yadkin Valley Railway through the former Rockefeller family estate at Overhills, Harnett and Cumberland Counties http://freepages.hobbies.rootsweb.com/~pfwilson/overhills2.html:

The in-progress, 30-mile, American Tobacco Trail site has photos, news, and events: www.triangletrails.org

The Virginia Creeper Trail runs 34.3 miles from Abingdon, Virginia, to the Virginia-North Carolina border: http://tri.xtn.net/tnt/vacreeper02.html and another site at: http://www.ehc.edu/vacreeper/vclog.html

Cherry Creek Cyclery has Virginia Creeper photos and trail descriptions at: http://www.cccyclery.com:80/vacrep.htm

Waterway and Boating Trails

Canoeing, water trails, and other flatwater paddling routes on North Carolina lakes and rivers at Trails.com:

• Canoeing and Water Trails in North Carolina

North Carolina whitewater kayaking and rafting, with maps and launch points at Trails.com:

• Whitewater Kayaking and Rafting in North Carolina

Statewide Advocacy and Resources

North Carolina sea kayaking routes with maps and launch points from kayaking books at Trails.com:

• Sea Kayaking Routes in North Carolina