National Parks Near Asheville
National Parks near Asheville. There’s so much more to Asheville than the historic Biltmore Estate.
In this article, we’ll familiarize you with the incredible national parks that are within a day’s drive of downtown Asheville.
There are 10 national park sites for you to see on your next visit to the Tar Heel State.
To be clear, this list includes national park sites (as in sites managed by the National Park Service) as well as full-fledged national parks. To learn more about the difference between the various National Park Service designations check out our article that explains everything!
Now let’s go ahead with 10 reasons why you’ll want to hop in your car and make a day’s drive from Asheville to one of these truly amazing places.
Best National Parks Near Asheville
1. Appalachian National Scenic Trail
Distance From Asheville: The Appalachian Trail can be accessed at many locations within 45 min to 2 hours of Asheville
Need a good stretch of the legs? Check out the longest hiking trail in the world. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a marked hiking trail that runs from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. Just how long a hike is that? Approximately 2,200 miles. You don’t have to do it all however.
The trail was built by private citizens and completed in 1937. It is managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, numerous state agencies and thousands of volunteers.
It’s a truly magnificent hiking trail traversing the scenic, wooded, pastoral and wild lands of the Appalachian Mountains.
You’re Never Too Old Or Young To Hike The Appalachian Trail
Think you’re too old for the Appalachian Trail? M.J. “Sunny” Eberhart strode into the record books as the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail. Eberhart is an 83 year old from Alabama who is best known for by his trail name Nimblewill Nomad.
At the other end of the age spectrum, we have five-year old Harvey Sutton who completed the Appalachian Trail over the summer. Nimblewill and Harvey prove that you’re never too old or young to complete this amazing trek.
2. Blue Ridge Parkway | National Parks Near Asheville
Distance From Asheville: Two hours 36 minutes (167 miles) via I-40 E & I-77 N.
Believe it or not the Blue Ridge Parkway is the most visited single unit in the U.S. National Parks System. While you can drive through it in only 10-12 hours, if you want to see and do all of the wonderful things available along the way then be prepared to set aside five to seven days.
The Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center near the beautiful city of Asheville is a great place to gather information about all of the things there are to see and do. Now that having been said, I’m going to give you some recommendations based on a few of my favorites.
Cumberland Knob is a great place to begin. It’s where construction began on this magnificent parkway. If you love to hike or just went to soak up some beautiful nature, there are find 1,000 acres of recreation, including the easy Cumberland Knob Trail.
If it’s music you love there are special events and concerts along the parkway. They include Humpback Rocks (Milepost 5.8), Roanoke Mountain Picnic Area (Milepost 120.4), and Mabry Mill (Milepost 176).
The Blue Ridge Music Center at milepost 213 highlights the musicians of the Blue Ridge. It’s a great place to visit while soaking up some wonderful tunes. It includes an outdoor amphitheater, an indoor interpretive center/theater, and “The Roots of American Music,” a free interactive exhibition highlighting the historical significance of the region’s music. (Source: NPS)
3. Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Distance From Asheville: Seven hours 42 minutes (490 miles) via I-40 E & US-64 E.
It’s a long day’s drive from Asheville, but if you love the seashore then it’s definitely a trip worth making. Why? Because there’s nearly 70 miles of beautiful beach. You can enjoy an ocean swim during the day and a warm beach fire at night. There’s opportunities to fly kites, enjoy a picnic along the seashore, search for sea shells washed ashore, build castles in the sand or just relax.
There are three designated hiking trails which include:
- Buxton Woods Trail-It’s a .75 mile loop where you will see the diverse maritime forest ecosystem up close. You will traverse some of the highest points on Hatteras Island and can celebrate completing your trek with a picnic since both the start and end of the loop is at the Buxton Woods Picnic Area.
- Open Ponds Trail-It’s 4.5 miles (one direction) and 9 miles (round trip). That’s a lot of steps! Why so long? Because it goes from the mountains to the sea. You’ll see dunes, shrub thickets, and the forests of Hatteras Island as you wind your way between the British Cemetery near the Buxton Woods Picnic Area and Trailhead and the Frisco Campground.
- Hammock Hills Trail-It’s a .75 mile which takes you past dunes and scrub thickets, through a maritime forest, and to the salt marsh. You will have some wonderful views of the Pamlico Sound, before you loop back through the forest.
Whatever outdoor activity you enjoy (canoeing, crabbing, kayaking, kiteboarding, snorkeling, surfing) you’re likely to find it at Cape Hatteras.
4. Cape Lookout National Seashore
Distance From Asheville: Approximately eight hours (428 miles) via I-40 E.
This one’s a long day’s drive, too, but once again it’s well worth it if you love that feeling of the sand between your toes, cool ocean breezes on your face and the sound of the surf in your ears.
There are some wonderful things to do while at Cape Lookout. They include:
- Boating-Canoeing, Kayaking, paddling, windsurfing and more. You can even rent a houseboat if you want to have an aquatic adventure.
- Camping-There is camping though it is primitive. Be prepared for the natural conditions to be found at the park.
- Bird Watching-You can see terns and herons are best seen in the summer. In the spring and fall seasons you can see shorebirds, hawks, and songbirds. If you go in the winter then ducks and geese are most common.
- Fishing-Most of the beach is open for fishing. Fishing regulations, including seasons and licensing requirements are set by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
- Horse Watching-It’s not only the birds that you can see at Cape Lookout. More than 100 wild horses, living in groups called harems or bands, roam free along the entire length and width of Shackleford Banks island.
- Hiking-There are no trails on the seashore, but many people do backpack or hike the islands.
- Sea Shells-When I was a kid, I loved looking for and collecting sea shells. But you don’t have to be a kid to enjoy it. Cape Lookout is an excellent place to explore for shells. A limit of two gallons of shells per day can be taken off the seashore.
5. Carl Sandburg National Historic Site
Distance From Asheville: Forty-two minutes (31 miles) via I-26 E.
Most authors can only dream of winning a coveted Pulitzer Prize in literature. Carl Sandburg won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln.
During his lifetime, Sandburg was widely regarded as “a major figure in contemporary literature”, especially for volumes of his collected verse, including Chicago Poems (1916), Cornhuskers (1918), and Smoke and Steel (1920).
The park is located on 264 acres in western North Carolina. Visitors can tour the Sandburg Home They can also hike on over 5 miles of trails. While there, you can visit the farm and dairy goats, and much more. The average visitor spends two hours at “Connemara.”
And the best news of all is that it’s free to enter the park, access the bookstore and information in the ground floor of the Sandburg Home, walk the trails and visit the barn. If you’re planning on touring the house there is a fee for that.
6. Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Distance From Asheville: Five entrances to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are within 70 miles from downtown Asheville: Cataloochee Valley, Oconaluftee, Road to Nowhere, Balsam Mountain, and Big Creek.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the is the most visited national park in the country and a true monument to the beauty of the Appalachians. Established in the depths of the Great Depression by generous local communities, wealthy philanthropists like John D. Rockefeller Jr., and the U.S. government, this pristine area was spared from further logging and development and is now a premiere outdoor destination belonging to all Americans.
If you’re wondering how crowded the park is considering it’s the most visited national park in the country – you might be surprised by the answer. While it certainly depends on where you go in the park and what time of year you visit, Great Smoky Mountains doesn’t see anywhere near the crowding that parks like Zion or Yosemite do these days.
More Than Just Parks Great Smoky Mountains Video
7. Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
Distance From Asheville: Two hours 36 minutes (172 miles) via I-40 E.
The Battle of Guilford Courthouse was considered a victory within a defeat. It was on of the pivotal battles of the American Revolutionary War. It took place on March 15, 1781.
The British troops under Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis (1738-1805) scored a tactical victory at Guilford Courthouse over American forces under Major General Nathanael Greene (1742-86). Nevertheless, the British suffered significant troop losses during the battle.
Afterward, Cornwallis abandoned his campaign for the Carolinas and instead took his army into Virginia, where in October of that year he surrendered to General George Washington (1732-99) following the Battle of Yorktown, the last major land battle of the war.
You can explore the inner trails of the battlefield and visualize the events of March 15, 1781 as you listen to the Park Ranger’s narration. The walking tour begins at the Hoskins Farm parking area. The entire walk is 1.75 miles. The tour last approximately 1.5 hours.
While you’re there you can visit the Hoskins Farmstead. It’s a late 18th and early 19th century farmstead, telling the story of Joseph and Hannah Hoskins, two colonists who fled the war during the Northern Campaign and settled in the Carolina backcountry planning for a peaceful life.
8. Moores Creek National Battlefield
Distance From Asheville: Approximately five hours (328 miles) via I-40 E.
The Battle at Moores Creek Bridge was the first battle of the Revolutionary War to take place in North Carolina. This was a battle in which a group of North Carolina Patriots defeated a group of North Carolina Tories thereby thwarting a British invasion of the southern colonies.
At Moores Creek, you can learn about history while getting into shape. There’s a one mile trail where you can enjoy a quiet walk through a 244-year-old battlefield. It doesn’t get any better than that!
If you’re thinking of hosting a special event of your own then the beautiful natural landscapes which are perfect venues for a variety of special activities.
Be advised that most special events and activities held in the park require a special use permit, issued only after the National Park Service (NPS) determines, from the applicant’s information, that the activities involved will not impair park values and resources. (Source: NPS)
9. Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail
Distance From Asheville: One hour 51 minutes (99 miles) via I-26 E & US-74 E.
The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail traces the route that was used by the Patriots during the Kings Mountain Battle of 1780. The route is 330 miles and it goes through four states (Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina).
You can explore this route by following a Commemorative Motor Route which uses existing state highways. It is marked with a distinctive trail logo and includes 87 miles of walkable pathways.
10. Wright Brothers National Memorial
Distance From Asheville: Six hours 45 minutes (450 miles) via I-40 E & US-64 E.
It’s a full day’s drive from Asheville, but definitely worth the trip especially if you love the history of aviation. Orville & Wilbur Wright, otherwise known as the Wright Brothers, ushered in the aerial age with their successful first flight of a heavier-than-flying machine at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Together, these two aeronautical visionaries pioneered many of the basic tenets and techniques of modern aeronautical engineering, such as the use of a wind tunnel and flight testing as design tools.
Visitors can relive the epic adventures of two intrepid brothers from Ohio. Visitors can see the reconstructed hangar and living quarters offer a glimpse of what camp life was like for the Wrights in 1903.
Stand at the place where Wilbur and Orville Wright first took to the air in their 1903 flyer and landed. You can climb Big Kill Devil Hill to see the nation’s monument commemorating the brothers’ historic achievement.
Map Of National Parks Near Asheville
List Of National Park Sites Near Asheville
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail
- Blue Ridge Parkway
- Cape Hatteras National Seashore
- Cape Lookout National Seashore
- Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
- Moores Creek National Battlefield
- Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail
- Wright Brothers National Memorial
About the Folks Behind More Than Just Parks
You should probably know that we don’t just make this stuff up out of thin air. My sons have spent their entire adult lives exploring and filming America’s national parks and public lands.
As for me, I’m a retired lifelong educator and proud dad of these two guys hopelessly obsessed with the national parks.
We’ve worked with the National Park Service, the Department of Interior, and the U.S. Forest Service for years creating films on important places and issues. Our work has been featured in leading publications all over the world and even some people outside of our immediate family call us experts on the national parks.
The Parks Brothers
We’re Jim Pattiz and Will Pattiz, collectively known as the Pattiz Brothers (and sometimes the Parks Brothers) and we absolutely LOVE the national parks.
Our goal here at More Than Just Parks is to share the beauty of America’s national parks and public lands through stunning short films in an effort to get Americans and the world to see the true value in land conservation.
We hope you’ll follow our journey through the parks and help us to keep them the incredible places that they are. If you’re interested in joining the adventure then please sign up below!
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