Archived Outdoors

New Mountains-to-Sea guide available

A new trail guide covering the Balsams section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is out, meaning that the trail’s route through Western North Carolina is now completely covered by the guide series released by Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

The 61-mile Balsams section, which includes the area from Waterrock Knob to Pisgah Inn, is one of the most rugged and least accessible sections of the MST. The new guide contains a breakdown of landmarks along the trail and information for finding maps and amenities. 

The MST is a still-evolving trail, so even with the map done it’s important to check for updates before setting out. The trail stretches 1,000 miles and will ultimately link Clingman’s Dome with Jockey’s Ridge State Park on the coast. About two-thirds of the route is currently complete. 

www.ncmst.org/the-trail/trailguide.

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.