A series of hikes through next year will take hikers to each of the 41 areas identified as “Mountain Treasures” within the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests.

The Wilderness Society is teaming up with the Carolina Mountain Club on the hikes, designed to showcase wonders of the national forest and set the stage for the upcoming U.S. Forest Service management plan revision — a massive study of forest operations from logging to recreation to wildlife habitat. The process happens every couple of decades and has major implications for how the forests will be managed. The hikes will help gather information about each area, plus increase the number of people with direct connections to these places.

The first two hikes are Dodson Knob on Nov. 6 and the Bald Mountains hike Dec. 4. The hikes are free and open to the public, but RSVP with the hike leader if you are not a club member. For more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or to read about the particular hikes go to www.carolinamountainclub.org, click on “hike schedule,” then “weekend all-day.”