Outdoor Recreation

DuPont State Forest

DuPont State Forest consists of more than 10,000 acres of forest, trails, and waterfalls.  It is located between Hendersonville and Brevard, North Carolina.  The original 7600 acre forest was established in 1996 through a generous bargain sale from the DuPont Corporation. In 2000, the Forest was expanded by two property additions, including the spectacular 2200 acre tract in the center of the Forest containing High Falls, Triple Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls.

The DuPont State Forest lies in an upland plateau of the Little River valley, with large sections of gently rolling land bordered by moderately steep hills and mountains. Most all of the ridges have exposed granite slabs and domes. Elevation ranges from 2300′ below Hooker Falls on the Little River to 3600′ on the granite dome of Stone Mountain. Except for 21 small wildlife clearings, hundreds of acres of exposed granite, and a former camp facility on Lake Julia, the entire property is forested, mostly with young to medium aged trees, dating back to fires, farms, and forestry operations in the middle part of this century. Though sections of the property are white pine plantation (especially the Flatwood near Guion Farm), most are mixed with hardwoods gradually succeeding the softwoods.

The Little River flows through the Forest and there are four major waterfalls on the Little River, and several smaller waterfalls on the Grassy Creek, which drains a large portion of the eastern part of the Forest.

TOUR de FALLS – Mother’s Day Weekend – May 12th and 13th.  A 12 mile tour by shuttle bus in DuPont State Recreational Forest to four spectacular sites: Triple Falls, High Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, & Lake Julia.

General Information:  www.dupontforest.com or 800-692-2929 or Inn on Church 828-696-2001

Walking Trails

• OKLAWAHA Greenway – Trailhead – Jackson Park Nature Trail
• Historic Johnson Farm Trails
• Carl Sandburg National Historic Site Trails
• Kellogg Center- Perry Rudnick Nature & Public Art Trail

Hiking Trails Near Hendersonville

• Pisgah National Forest – Day Hiking
• Blue Ridge Parkway Cradle of Forestry
• Holmes Educational State Forest
• Biltmore Estate 

OTHER HIKING TRAILS WITHIN A 20 MILE RADIUS OF HENDERSONVILLE NC
Name	Near	Distance	Elev Gain
Turkey Pen Gap Trail	9.2 miles away	5.7 miles	2600 ft
Mountain Views, Lush valleys, Long walk beside the river
Max Patch – Long Loop	9.6 miles away	4 miles	1400 ft
Nice hike along a treeless summit of rolling hills.
Stone Mountain Hike	9.9 miles away	3.83 miles	1100 ft
360 Deg. Views in winter, Great colors in fall, Good Exercise
Pink Beds Trail	10.3 miles away	4.5 miles	500 ft
Nice, relatively flat hike along stream bed, Numerous clearings.
Fletcher Creek Loop	10.4 miles away	6.5 miles	1236 ft
Wildflowers, Good Exercise, Picturesque Native Trout Stream.
Graveyard Fields Loop	10.6 miles away	3.19 miles	564 ft
waterfalls, easy hike, good exercise
Garenflo Gap to Hot Springs	11.5 miles away	6 miles	1500 ft
Wooded, yet nice vistas and AT shelter
Three Falls Hike	12.1 miles away	2.4 miles	250 ft
Waterfalls, Beautiful River Views, Good Exercise
High Falls,Triple Falls Hike	12.1 miles away	2.25 miles	431 ft
Beautiful set of waterfalls, multi use area, superbly maintained trails
Bent Creek Lake Loop	12.2 miles away	1.5 miles	150 ft
Lake Views, Wild Flowers, Wildlife, Fall Color
Pump Gap Loop Trail	12.8 miles away	3.5 miles	2000 ft
Wooded up hill hike that eventually connects with AT and Lovers Leap.
Appalachian Trail – North of H	12.8 miles away	10 miles	1800 ft
Scenic views from fire tower, open grassy areas, wooded trails
Laurel River Trail	13.7 miles away	7 miles	300 ft
Nice hike along a very scenic whitewater rive, ruins and swimming
Rim of the Gap – Pinnacle Pass	15.9 miles away	5.2 miles	2488 ft
numerous streams, great outcrop, challenging trail
Pink Beds Loop- short version	15.9 miles away	3.1 miles	300 ft
Level loop, nice cool hike, lots of streams, beautiful mtn laurels when in bloom
Ishi,Pinnacle Pass Loop	15.9 miles away	5.5 miles	1687 ft
Strenuous Hike, Excellent Forest, Great Views
Lake Imaging	17 miles away	3.8 miles	202 ft
small lake, hike,bike,horseback,beautiful hardwood forest
Triple Falls Loop	17.1 miles away	3.5 miles	300 ft
Beatiful waterfalls, wooded trail.
Cat Gap – Horse Cove Loop	17.3 miles away	5.1 miles	1062 ft
Views From John Rock, Wildlife, Exercise
Raven Cliff Falls- Suspension	17.8 miles away	6.5 miles	1000 ft
Rhodendron, Mountain Laurel, established trees, beautiful waterfall
Pleasant Ridge Nature Trail	17.9 miles away	0.7 miles	109 ft
interperative trail, great stream and small waterfalls
Ceasears Head Hike	18 miles away	7.3 miles	2500 ft
4-5 hr hike covering 2 waterfalls, scenic vistas, suspension bridges, etc.
Bridal Veil Falls Trail	18.2 miles away	5 miles	300 ft
Scenic hike along wooded-river trail to Bridal Veil Falls.
Shining Creek-Art Loeb-Old But	18.2 miles away	8.4 miles	2950 ft
Wonderful S. Appalachian creek and cove, Shining Rock, and views galore.
Lake Dense	18.8 miles away	3.5 miles	140 ft
Vast variety of trails, beautiful lake, outstanding river
Source: http://www.localhikes.com/

Biking & Mountain Biking Trails

30 Western North Carolina is legendary for its mountain biking trails with DuPont State Forest ranking high among professional bikers. There are also several family fun bike trails in the area.

Family Fun Bike Trails

1. OKLAWAHA Greenway
2. Biltmore Estate

1. Dupont State Forest   (print)  (trail map)
2. Bat Cave – Edneyville (42 miles)
3. Cane Creek – Emmas Grove (26 miles)
4. Carl Sandburg Metric Century (63 miles)
5. Cedar Mountain Cruise (36.1 miles)
6. French Broad River Cruise (40.3 miles)
7. Henderson – Flat Rock Challenge (44.4 miles)
8. Old Fort – Hickory Nut Gorge (64 miles)
9. Polk County Cruise (39.8 miles)
10. Swannanoa Valley & Crafts (26 miles)
11. The Blue Ridge Parkway: Mount Pisgah to Cherokee (60 miles)
12. Wildflower Bakery (50 miles)

Western North Carolina Mountain Biking Trailheads Federal Lands

• Bent Creek
• Mills River
• Davidson River
• Big Ivy (Coleman Boundary)
• Hot Springs

• Tsali
• Jackrabbit Mountain
• Hanging Dog

• Dark Mountain Trails
• Overmountain Victory Trail
• Fish Dam Creek Trail
• Warrior Creek Trails
• Overmountain Victory Trail

State Lands

• DuPont State Forest
• South Mountains State Park

Public Golf Courses & Resorts

This area of Western North Carolina near  Hendersonville & the Greater Asheville Area has several public golf courses and golf resorts where visitors and the general public can play a round of golf.

• Links to Golf Courses Near Hendersonville
• Hendersonville NC Golf Courses
• Asheville Area Golf Courses
• Links to Public Golf Courses in Asheville

Chimney Rock State Park

Chimney Rock Park is known for its breathtaking views, Hickory Nut Falls, Hiking, bird-watching,  and rock climbing.  Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park is located in Chimney Rock Village near Lake Lure in the NC mountains. Just 25 miles southeast of Asheville, NC, the Park is nestled in Hickory Nut Gorge between the towns of Lake Lure and Bat Cave. The Park welcomes leashed and vaccinated pets.

View Photo Gallery 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a hiker’s paradise with over 800 miles of maintained trails ranging from short leg-stretchers to strenuous treks that may require backcountry camping. But hiking is not the only reason for visiting the Smokies. Car camping, fishing, picnicking, wildlife viewing, and auto touring are popular activities.