North Carolina's 5 Best Traveler-Recommended Weekend Backpacking Trips For A Scenic Outdoor Escape

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North Carolina boasts over 2,000 miles of hiking trails, with many spectacular destinations you can hike to in a day, from summits in the Great Smoky Mountains to waterfalls in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Sometimes, the best destination isn't a viewpoint at all, but a backcountry campsite. Weekend-length backpacking trips are a great way to really unplug for bit, while still making it back to civilization in plenty of time to clock into work Monday morning.

Due to the state's abundant rainfall, North Carolina's backpacking trails are steeped in beauty. You'll find lush, cool forests, misty mountain meadows, streams for fishing, and lakes for swimming. The wild coastline is famous for its barrier islands, while the mountainous west gives you lots of peaks to climb and vistas to admire. North Carolina is also home to a beautiful section of the Appalachian Trail, the 2,000-plus mile trek that crosses 14 states from Georgia to Maine.

However, weekend backpacking trips have some advantages over longer trips. One is that you only need to carry enough food for two or three days, making for a lighter pack and more enjoyment. Short backpacking trips are better, too, if you're hiking with kids or dogs. They're also ideal if you're planning a romantic getaway with a partner who is new to hiking. Even veteran thru-hikers love weekend trips, which they use to try out new gear (called "shakedowns" in hiker lingo). We've scoured social media, reviews, and backpacking sites to find five weekend destinations that travelers love.

The breathtaking Art Loeb Trail in the Shining Rock Wilderness of North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest is a challenging (yet stunning) gem. While the entire 30-mile-long trek can make for an extended, expert-level backpacking trip, the short, steep 10-mile loop hike to Shining Rock and back is a perfect overnight getaway. "This is a great way to get folks without as much backpacking experience into some beautiful terrain," writes one AllTrails reviewer after a "quick overnight."

This hike begins by following the Art Loeb Trail up Tennent Mountain. From here, you'll follow a ridgeline to Black Balsam Knob, with continuous sweeping views all the way. Then it's onward to Shining Rock — the name comes from the gleaming white quartz boulders that crown the 6,000-foot-high mountain top. You'll pass through a staggering variety of landscapes along the way, from pine forests and laurel groves to fields of rhododendrons and meadows of wildflowers. Note that there are many trails crisscrossing the area, so a map or trail app is essential.

This magical mountaintop is quite a romantic setting. "I proposed to my wife on Shining Rock when we last did the trail. Gave her a shining rock at Shining Rock," one Redditor writes. It gets windy on the summit, so there are protected campsites a bit lower down among the trees and rhododendrons. You could even drop your gear at one on the way up, enjoy an unencumbered visit to the top, and return to camp after a spectacular sunset.

The 21.6 mile Standing Indian, Mount Albert, and Nantahala Basin Loop is a gorgeous hike through North Carolina's Nantahala National Forest, sometimes called "Yosemite of the East." This is a longish hike for a weekend, but it has it all: mountain peaks to bag, well-established campsites, plentiful water sources, and a number of easy alternate trails, should you prefer a shorter hike with less altitude. The total elevation gain over the 21.6 miles is 4,143 feet, with the climbs pretty evenly distributed over the entire distance. This is an ideal three-day hike, or two days for experienced trekkers. If you're pressed for time and looking for a shorter hike, consider hiking up Albert Mountain, 5.5 miles each way, as an out-and-back with an overnight at the summit. You'll still get to pass through rhododendron tunnels on the way to the summit views.

The views from the top of Albert Mountain (5,200 ft) and Standing Indian Mountain (5,500 ft) are spectacular, and both summits have campsites. Camping on top of either summit treats you to one sight that day hikers almost never get to witness: a breathtaking sunrise. Albert Mountain has a fire lookout tower you can climb for an even loftier view. Fun fact: The Appalachian trail passes right over the top of Albert Mountain, at mile 99.7, so you might be camping alongside thru-hikers celebrating their first 100 miles on the trail.

The Appalachian Trail spends just 96.5 miles in North Carolina, but they are iconic, memorable miles. After all, two of the hikes on this list sample portions of it. This segment that traverses the spectacular Roan Highlands from Carver's Gap to Highway 19 is widely considered one of the long trail's highlights, and at 14.5 miles, it's the perfect length for a relaxed overnight backpacking trip. This is a point-to-point hike, so you'll want to arrange a car shuttle, either by bringing two cars or hiring a shuttle service, like the one provided by Mountain Harbor hostel ($40 as of this writing). The hostel is right at the trail's end, so you can park at the hostel and shuttle to start your hike.

The Appalachian Trail is nicknamed "The Green Tunnel" for being heavily treed most of the way, but this section is an exception. The bald mountaintop meadows of the Roan Highlands have been compared to the dramatic mountain scenery in "The Lord of the Rings." Fields of wildflowers and thickets of blueberries blanket the hills, surrounded by soaring, sweeping views for miles. You'll be tempted to camp up high, but the wind picks up overnight, so it may be better to drink in those views by day. At night, you can nestle into the lower, forested campsites past the heights, which will give you an easy, gentle descent on day two. The Appalachian Trail is notoriously rocky and full of roots, and that's true of the forested sections of this hike, so mind your step and bring trekking poles.

The Great Smoky Mountains' Linville Gorge, sometimes called the "Grand Canyon of the East," belongs at the top of your backpacking bucket list. You might want to knock out a couple of easier practice hikes before heading here, though, as the Gorge has a reputation for being tough on hikers. The over-25-mile Linville Gorge Loop (not a weekend getaway by any stretch) is teasingly nicknamed "Is That All Ya Got" (abbreviated on AllTrails as the "ITAYG Loop"). Still, seasoned hikers can sample this unique landscape's delights in a weekend.

One of the most rewarding day hikes here is the hike to the Chimneys and Table Rock Mountain, which can be turned into a difficult-but-doable overnight. The 15.7-mile trail starting from Wolf Pit Road is lined with plenty of backcountry campsites to choose from, and if you find it more challenging than expected, you can shorten it by eliminating the final ascent of Table Rock Mountain. Alternatively, you can drive a bumpy dirt road and start further up at Table Rock Gap. Even if you only hike the Chimneys, you'll want trekking poles on this steep, rocky trail. The Chimneys are a series of jagged rock formations you can scramble around on, with stunning views over the gorge that are well worth the tiring trail ascent. "Best hike on the east coast," writes one AllTrails reviewer. "It's like a playground of rock faces."

Most of the hikes listed here are mountain rambles, but the Neusiok Trail is an exception. It's a beautiful route that rambles through some of North Carolina's most ravishing coastal landscapes. Part of the epic 1,175-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail that traverses the state of North Carolina from east to west, the Neusiok Trail is a 21.5-mile section hike that's virtually flat (gaining just 255 feet over its entire length), making it easy enough to bite off in a weekend.

The point-to-point trail traverses the unique and underrated Croatan National Forest, a true hidden gem on the North Carolina Coast. You'll travel on boardwalks through cypress swamps and salt marshes, as well as on level, sandy trails through sparse pine forests. You'll even wander past exotic fields of Venus flytraps and carnivorous pitcher plants. "Had a blast and encountered some exciting landscapes," writes one AllTrails reviewer, who hiked the whole trail in two days in April. "Be prepared to get your feet wet."

Since this trail lies near North Carolina's wild coast, it's always a good idea to check with the local ranger station for temporary closures and current trail conditions — and always check the forecast. The trail can be buggy in summer, swampy in wet weather, and snow is rare but not unknown. You don't necessarily need a tent for this hike, as there are three-sided backcountry shelters to keep you off the ground and out of the rain; just unfurl your pad and sleeping bag and settle in. In fact, thanks to the flat, low elevation and presence of shelters, the Neusiok Trail can be a pleasant winter backpacking adventure.

To track North Carolina's best weekend backpacking trails, we scoured Reddit forums like r/NCTrails and r/WildernessBackpacking, combed through blog posts written by experienced adventurers, and studied up on wisdom from authoritative outlets like Backpacker and Outside magazines. We also made sure to include a range of difficulty levels to suit different hiking styles, from rugged wilderness climbs to groomed trails with developed campsites. Since North Carolina has both mountains and coast, we made sure to include a fair sampling of the natural beauty the state has to offer.