Western North Carolina is a hiker’s paradise.

With so much land protected by national and state forests and parks, those who live in the Western North Carolina area have endless hiking opportunities.

The National Park Service (NPS) will close Ramsey Cascades Trail on weekdays while trail crews finish the full-scale rehabilitation work started in 2022.

Haywood County Recreation will host a series of spring hikes throughout April. Here’s a look at what’s coming up. 

Haywood Waterways Association will lead two hikes to Mouse Falls in the Big Creek Watershed of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Tuesday, April 9, and Saturday, April 13. 

Peter Conti seemed destined for a life of chronic pain. 

For nearly two years after a devastating motorcycle accident left him with a shattered pelvis and nerve damage in his leg, Conti battled depression and suicidal ideation while struggling to manage his debilitating, demoralizing condition with dangerously addictive opioids. 

The Nantahala Ranger District is seeking public input to implement trail rehabilitation and repairs along with other work within the Panthertown Valley.

The tangle of trees and vines beyond the playground fence at North Canton Elementary School used to be a no-go zone for students, years of accumulated balls a testament to a long-time school rule against jumping the fence.  

A new Carolina Mountain Club trail crew, dubbed the Extra Mile Crew, has been formed to work on trail sections likely to be missed by existing crews. 

Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail will hold its annual gathering May 3-5 at Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, with an agenda that includes guided hikes, excursions, trail building workshops and more. 

During its Feb. 22 meeting, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission voted to adopt a slate of proposed rule changes for the coming year, including a pair of controversial measures that will shift the season dates for white-tailed deer and significantly expand the season length for black bear in the mountain region.