Category: North Carolina Federal

Blue Ridge Parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway  
The Parkway is a 469 mile drive “revealing stunning long-range vistas and close-up views of the rugged mountains and pastoral landscapes of the Appalachian Highlands.” The Blue Ridge Parkway is in both Virginia and North Carolina.
Here is their website. Phone 828-348-3400   Recorded Park Information line 828-298-0398
Parkway Visitor Center in Asheville, North Carolina  828-298-5330    Map   Real time open/close road status map   –  Accessibility

The Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia 
Peaks of Otter
Wheelchair Accessible Abbot Lake Trail  One mile loop around the lake “…through a woodland forest and open field.
Trails in North Carolina  This site gives mileage and a rating of easy, moderate or strenuous and links to trail maps.  I can not tell just how easy is “easy” and there is no indication whether there might be obstacles such as stairs.
Rocky Knob
Hikerwithcane? Rocky Knob Picnic area trail “… is an easy 1-mile loop and offers a pleasant walk through a mature forest of large oaks, ashes, hickories, Fraser magnolias, hemlocks, and other native trees and shrubs.”

Big Oaks Recreation Area

Big Oaks Recreation Area 
Big Oaks Recreation Area is a summer day-use area on Hartwell Lake,  a man-made  56,000 acre lake bordering Georgia and SC on the Savannah, Tukgaloo and Seneca Rivers.  Description on Oh Ranger!    Map  Phone (706) 856-0300    Hartwell Lake Visitor Center  phone 888-893-0678   Here is their website.   Reviewed on tripadvisor
Wheelchair AccessibleHartwell Dam Walking Trail  on the Georgia side  1.37 miles one-way “….follows the shoreline of Hartwell Lake from Big Oaks up to the concrete portion of the dam on the Georgia side.”
Wheelchair AccessibleHartwell Dam Walking Trail  on the South Carolina side  0.75 mile one-way.  “….follows the shoreline up to the concrete portion of Hartwell Dam on the South Carolina side. For a shorter walk, you can access this trail from the South Carolina Recreation Area, located approximately midway between the South Carolina Overlook and the GA/SC border.”

Pisgah National Forest

Pisgah National Forest
“The Pisgah National Forest is a land of mile-high peaks, cascading waterfalls, and heavily forested slopes.”
Here is the Forest website.  Map Phone  828-877-3265
Wheelchair AccessibleRoan Mountain Gardens Trail  Brochure   “On a clear day you can enjoy views of Mount Mitchell, Grandfather Mountain, Table Rock and Hump Mountain. This trail passes through a large patch of Catawba rhododendrons and consists of two loops. The upper loop is wheelchair accessible, while the lower loop has several steps.”
Hikerwithcane? Deerfield Loop Trail in the Bent Creek area 0.8 miles with a 100′ elevation change. This is described as easy, but you might call ahead to ask about conditions.
Wheelchair AccessibleWiseman’s View in Grandfather District   a 0.2mile access trail to a spectacular view.
Hikerwithcane? Tom’s Creek Falls   near Marion.  This 0.8 mile trail is described as easy, but the last 0.2 miles get steeper and may be too much for you.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
“Ridge upon ridge of forest straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. World renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, this is America’s most visited national park.”
Here is the Park website.    Phone 865-436-1200    Maps  
Trails accessibility information
  Hiking In The Smokies.com – difficulty has a trail list with difficulty ratings.  You can see that the rugged Great Smokies offer little in accessibility.  You might try Randy Johnson’s Best Easy Day Hikes guide.

NORTH CAROLINA
HikerwithcaneDeep Creek Trail to Tom Branch Falls   “The trail begins as a wide path as it traces Deep Creek upstream. The 80-foot Toms Branch Falls is located only three-tenths of a mile from the trailhead. The park service has provided several benches for visitors to admire these beautiful falls, which spill down into the creek from the opposite bank.”

TENNESEE
Wheelchair AccessibleSugarlands Valley Nature trail is 0.5 mile round trip.  Reviewed on AllTrails.com    It is located on Newfound Gap Road, just south of Sugarlands Visitor Center.
HikerwithcaneSpruce Fir Trail is 0.35 miles with an elevation gain of just 25′ according to the author of Hiking In The Smokies.com.
HikerwithcaneLaurel Falls 2.6 miles  Map   EveryTrail.com says the trail is paved and is suitable for strollers, but considered ‘moderate” in difficulty.  “wideopencountry.com” warns that the first half is uphill.
HikerwithcaneMetcalf Bottoms Trail  1.4 miles.  A short nature hike through the woods to Greenbrier School. Map from EveryTrail
HikerwithcaneMiddle Prong Trail   Trip Advisor   hikingproject.com   maliasmiles   4 miles.  The trial is a 12′ wide graveled railroad grade for the first two miles.  Descriptions vary for the difficulty after that.  Video by The Smoky Mountain Hiking Blog