If you've already worked your way through the North Carolina day-hike checklist, this is the list for what comes next. We ranked the state's hardest trails using a composite of difficulty tag (hard or expert), distance, and elevation gain, drawing from the 15,091 mapped North Carolina trails in our database. These ten routes are reserved for hikers with the gear, the navigation skills, and the honesty about their own limits to tackle them safely.
North Carolina runs from the highest peaks in the eastern US (Mount Mitchell, 6,684 ft) through the Blue Ridge and Piedmont to the Outer Banks. The Art Loeb Trail, the Roan Highlands traverse, and a full MST thru-hike are North Carolina's defining endurance tests. Hypothermia on exposed balds in shoulder seasons, rattlesnakes and copperheads in the mountains, and tick-borne illness statewide.
Our rankings here are data-driven — pulled from the 15,091 mapped entries OutsideAtlas tracks in North Carolina — but the data has limits worth being honest about. A composite score weights expert and hard difficulty tags alongside total mileage and elevation gain. The result favors long, vertically aggressive routes with documented technical sections — there are surely tougher off-trail objectives in the state, but those are outside the scope of a trail directory.
The Ranking
Ranked from #1 to #10. Click through any entry for the full trail page — map, elevation profile, weather forecast, and direct OpenStreetMap source link.
#1. Burnett Creek Trail
Burnett Creek Trail sits near Suches in Union County and is rated expert — our pick for the toughest trail on the list. Expect ground surface on a expert-only grade. Local trail-association reports tend to agree this is one of the better-maintained options in the area, which matters more on a hike of this length than on a quick walk. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Burnett Creek Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#2. Cambric Connector
Cambric Connector sits near Little Switzerland in Burke County and is rated expert — the #2 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Expect ground surface on a expert-only grade. The route is well documented in OpenStreetMap, which is what put it on our radar — community-mapped routes tend to be the ones that get hiked enough to stay open. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Cambric Connector trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#3. Cambric
Cambric sits near Little Switzerland in Burke County and is rated expert — the #3 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Expect ground surface on a expert-only grade. It earns its ranking on the data, but trail conditions can change quickly after storms or fire seasons, so verify before you commit a full day. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Cambric trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#4. abandoned track
abandoned track sits near Sautee Nacoochee in Towns County and is rated hard — the #4 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Expect ground surface on a genuinely demanding grade. Compared to similar trails in North Carolina, this route trades difficulty for either solitude or scenery — sometimes both. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the abandoned track trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#5. Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail sits near Hampton in Carter County and is rated hard — the #5 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Tagged hard in OpenStreetMap. What makes this one earn its spot on the list is the combination of mapped detail and the kind of through-and-through experience that justifies a longer drive. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Appalachian Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#6. Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail sits near Hampton in Carter County and is rated hard — the #6 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Tagged hard in OpenStreetMap. Local trail-association reports tend to agree this is one of the better-maintained options in the area, which matters more on a hike of this length than on a quick walk. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Appalachian Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#7. Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail sits near Hampton in Carter County and is rated hard — the #7 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Tagged hard in OpenStreetMap. The route is well documented in OpenStreetMap, which is what put it on our radar — community-mapped routes tend to be the ones that get hiked enough to stay open. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Appalachian Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#8. Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail sits near Hampton in Carter County and is rated hard — the #8 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Tagged hard in OpenStreetMap. It earns its ranking on the data, but trail conditions can change quickly after storms or fire seasons, so verify before you commit a full day. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Appalachian Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#9. Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail sits near Hampton in Carter County and is rated hard — the #9 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Tagged hard in OpenStreetMap. Compared to similar trails in North Carolina, this route trades difficulty for either solitude or scenery — sometimes both. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Appalachian Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#10. Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail sits near Hampton in Carter County and is rated hard — the #10 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Tagged hard in OpenStreetMap. What makes this one earn its spot on the list is the combination of mapped detail and the kind of through-and-through experience that justifies a longer drive. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Appalachian Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.Planning your North Carolina trip
A few pieces of context are worth keeping in mind specifically for North Carolina. Spring and fall are best in the mountains; summer is humid but manageable; winter brings ice at higher elevations. Hypothermia on exposed balds in shoulder seasons, rattlesnakes and copperheads in the mountains, and tick-borne illness statewide.
Always cross-reference the official land-manager page before driving out — closures, fire restrictions, and seasonal road access can change quickly. Our trail pages link directly back to the OpenStreetMap source so you can see the tags we're working from.
If you're new to hiking generally, our beginner's guide covers footwear, layering, and the day-pack basics. For safety planning on bigger objectives, the ten essentials guide is worth twenty minutes of reading.
More North Carolina hiking guides
If you found this useful, the rest of our North Carolina coverage continues below.
- Top 10 longest trails in North Carolina — Multi-day routes and through-hikes ranked by distance.
- Steepest trails in North Carolina — Hikes with the most elevation gain in the state.
- Best beginner hikes in North Carolina — Easy, well-marked trails for first-time hikers.
- Best national parks in North Carolina — Federal parks and recreation areas ranked.
- Best waterfall hikes in North Carolina — Trails leading to named falls, ranked by accessibility.
- Best dog-friendly hikes in North Carolina — Where leashed dogs are explicitly welcome.
- Best family hikes in North Carolina — Short, easy trails sized for kids and grandparents.
Rankings like this are starting points, not verdicts. Trail conditions change, new routes get tagged, and what was the toughest trail in North Carolina last year might not be next year. We refresh these articles when the underlying data shifts meaningfully.
Got a correction, a route we missed, or a question? Drop us a note via the contact page. We read every email and we'd rather hear it from you than miss it.
