Mountains-to-Sea Trail

Mountains-to-Sea Trail (35.562737, -83.498441 to 35.960397, -75.639194)

Photo Gallery

Quick Facts

Trail Map: .jpg, .pdf
Counties: (west to east) Swain, Jackson, Haywood, Transylvania, Buncombe, Henderson, Yancey, McDowell, Burke, Caldwell, Avery, Watauga, Ashe, Wilkes, Alleghany, Surry, Yadkin, Stokes, Forsyth, Davidson, Rockingham, Guilford, Caswell, Alamance, Chatham, Orange, Durham, Granville, Wake, Johnston, Wayne, Duplin, Lenoir, Jones, Pitt, Craven, Pamlico, Carteret, Hyde, Dare
Trails: ~1000 miles
Difficulty: Easy - Strenuous
Hours: See individual parks for local park hours

Overview
The thousand-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail connects two dozen parks from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks.

Only about half of the trail is complete, although most of the route is now at least provisionally connected.

The MST is officially administered by the state parks system, although individual segments are maintained locally. The trail connects the following hiking areas (listed from west to east):

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Blue Ridge Parkway
Nantahala National Forest
Middle Prong Wilderness
Pisgah National Forest
Mount Mitchell State Park
Lake James State Park (connected via designated spur trail)
Linville Gorge Wilderness
Harper Creek Wilderness Study Area
Lost Cove Wilderness Study Area
Grandfather Mountain State Park
Stone Mountain State Park
Pilot Mountain State Park
Hanging Rock State Park
Haw River State Park
Shallow Ford Natural Area
Great Bend Park at Glencoe
Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area
Eno River State Park
West Point on the Eno Park
Penny's Bend Nature Preserve
Falls Lake State Recreation Area
Blue Jay Point County Park
Cliffs of the Neuse State Park
Croatan National Forest
Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
Jockey's Ridge State Park

Look for this icon Mountains-to-Sea Trail

on these park pages denoting local trails that are part of the MST.

Wildlife
See individual parks for local wildlife.

Plant Life
See individual parks for local plant life.

Landmarks
Some of the more notable sights along the trail are, from west to east, Clingmans Dome, Blue Ridge Parkway, Table Rock, Falls Lake Dam, Jockey's Ridge.

External Links
Official Site
Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail

View Larger Map