News

Hiking challenge features hidden gems, mountain views and waterfalls

Hikers make their way on Strawberry Gap Trail. [PHOTO BY GORDON TUTOR]

By Lightning Reports, Published: October 5, 2023

The popular White Squirrel Hiking Challenge this year is made up of eight hikes featuring hidden gems away from the crowds, lovely waterfalls and mountain views, Conserving Carolina announced.

Hikers are invited to take part in hikes, all on lands that Conserving Carolina has helped protect, enhance or open to the public. This year's challenge includes a stunning new trail in the Hickory Nut Gorge, a waterfall in North Carolina’s newest state forest, the breathtaking World’s Edge cliffs in Chimney Rock State Park. Click here to learn more about the Hiking Challenge and get started.

Hikers who take the challenge will special land, including some that only opened to the public in the last few years. They will discover and connect on a deeper level with our natural world. They can also earn their White Squirrel Hiking Challenge 7 patch as a badge of honor and perks from Mast General Store. The eight hikes are:

• Bearwallow Mountain Trail
• Strawberry Gap Trail
• DuPont Loop: Quarry and Rocky Bald
• World’s Edge in Chimney Rock State Park
• Green River Game Lands Loop to Stairstep Falls
• Gravely Falls in Headwaters State Forest
• Foothills Equestrian Nature Center Trails
• Alexander’s Ford in Bradley Nature Preserve