Hike Locator
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Trail Reports by State
This page is under construction. Currently, The Hike Locator is available only for Alabama and Florida. At the moment, I do not have enough time to finish this page. I am planning to finish developing this page during Spring 2017.
Alabama "The Beautiful" is a state that is the home to the beginning of the Appalachian Mountains. Much of the state is flat plains and rolling hills, but the northeastern section of the state is home to several mountain ridges where creeks carve tall waterfalls and rock outcrops provide far-reaching views into the Heart of the Dixie. The Cumberland Plateau originates in extreme northern Alabama, where in places such as the Sipsey Wilderness you will find deep gorges and clear rivers.
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Florida, the Sunshine State, is home to extreme ecological diversity. Where Florida lacks in any major elevation changes, it has a mixed bag of nearly everything else. From extensive swamps in the southern portions of the state to sun-burned prairies in the central portions of the state to large springs and rivers in the northern parts of the state to waterfalls and sinkholes in the panhandle section of the state to sandhills and beaches along the coast and on barrier islands, Florida has it all.
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Georgia
Georgia, the Peach State, is perhaps one of the better-known states in the South, with the large city of Atlanta standing high above most others in the region. The lesser-known side of Georgia is its northern tier, where the Blue Ridge Mountains begin. In these mountains, hiking trails lead across deep rivers, past waterfalls of all shapes and sizes, and to some great views scattered across the state's most prominent peaks such as Brasstown Bald.
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North Carolina
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South Carolina
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Tennessee
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The Tar Heel State (North Carolina) is home to arguably some of the most scenic settings in the Southeastern US. From mile-high peaks along the course of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the western sections of the state to the Great Smoky Mountains on the TN/NC state line, the views here are outstanding. Several rivers create deep valleys in the mountains, where you may find an assortment of water features. In the North Carolina Piedmont and sandhills region, a different hiking experience can be found s trails pass over the tall dunes on the Outer Banks and through/near swamps in Croatan National Forest.
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The next state south of NC, South Carolina (The Palmetto State) is a very diverse state, with the rugged Blue Wall in the upstate, where rolling foothills quickly turn into tall, rugged mountains that have several deep gorges, sch as the Jocassee Gorges, known as temperate rainforests. Meanwhile, a different hiking experience can be found in the midlands, where c;ear streams undulate through low hills and remnants of battles from the civil war can be seen. South Carolina's coastline has its own hiking as well, with trails following tidal streams and moving across sand dunes on barrier islands.
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In my opinion, the Volunteer State, Tennessee, is the best state for hiking in the Southeast. The state carries a wide variety of geography. In west Tennessee, low-lying floodplains and swamps dot the Mississippi and Tennessee River Valleys. In central Tennessee, the Cumberland Plateau has hundreds of rugged gorges carved into it, where waterfall are found like mushrooms and the views of the gorges can become outstanding. Further north, the Cumberland Mountains have their own challenges, with 3000-foot peaks having rugged trails leading across them. In east Tennessee, trails that are not much more than game paths lead to tall mountain peaks along the state line of NC/TN.
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Virginia
Virginia is one state where I have barely ever hiked, but the western sections of the state are home to unparalleled beauty. The Grayson Highlands, along with the area around state's highest peak, provide spectacular 360-degree panoramas that are not common in the Southeast. Further west, the Pine Mountain range straddles the border with Kentucky, and many bizarre rock formations can be seen. To the north, Shenandoah National Park has hiking trails that travel across tall ridges and through massive boulder fields to some of the best views in the Eastern US. The eastern sections of Virginia are not as interesting, with low-elevation plains stretching to the coastline.
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