What You Need For a Day Hike

Bringing the proper equipment will add greatly to your enjoyment, your safety, and the enjoyment and safety of the group. This stuff is essential if you are going out in the woods for more than a couple of hours. Make sure that you are comfortable with your equipment and you know where it all fits in. Do not carry anything in your hands; do not tie a jacket around your waist. Everything should fit in your daypack. Carry your wallet and keys in your daypack, at all times.

In your daypack

  • Two quarts of water in plastic water bottles (not soda bottles)
  • Lunch and snacks
  • Rain jacket (no matter what the forecast)
  • Long sleeve shirt (no matter what the forecast)
  • Sunglasses
  • Sun hat
  • Insect repellent
  • Sunscreen
  • Tissues
  • Personal first aid kit
  • Small flashlight
  • Plastic bag for trash. Nothing should be thrown out in the woods.
  • Map (and know how to use it) – Hiking Maps
  • Compass (and know how to use it)

Lunches and Snacks:

  • Peanut butter
  • Salami
  • Bologna
  • Small cans of tuna fish or sardines
  • Fruit
  • Cookies
  • Trail snacks

Extra food in case of delayed return.

If it is not the height of a warm summer, add:

  • Warm fleece hiking sweater or jacket
  • Rain pants
  • Wool or fleece hat and gloves How to dress
  • Shorts or pants and a short-sleeve T-shirt as the bottom layer.
  • Hiking boots, well broken-in and that go over the ankles
  • Good hiking socks (not sports socks).
  • Sunhat with a wide brim
  • Bandanna which you need to keep handy

Dress in layers. Your first layer should be a short-sleeve t-shirt (synthetic, not cotton) even if it seems cool in the morning. You will warm up. Your second layer should be a long-sleeve shirt (also synthetic). If you need extra layers, you will have your warm hiking sweater and rain jacket. Shorts give you more mobility and keep you cooler; pants give you more protection from insects and brush.

Additional Resources

Hiking Guidebooks for the Southern Appalachians

Many of these books can be purchased at Park and Forest Service visitor centers, and at outdoor stores.

  • Adams, Kevin, North Carolina Waterfalls: A Hiking and Photography Guide 2005
  • Adams, Kevin, North Carolina’s Best Wildflower Hikes: The Mountains 2004
  • Adkins, L.M. Walking the Blue Ridge: A guide to the trails of the Blue Ridge Parkway. University of North Carolina, 2003. The book describes all the hiking off the Parkway, from short leg stretchers to serious hikes
  • Appalachian Trail Conference, Appalachian Trail Guide – Tennessee – North Carolina, 12th Ed., 2005
  • Barr, Peter, Hiking North Carolina’s Lookout Towers 2008
  • Bernstein, Danny, Hiking North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Heritage, Milestone Press 2009
  • Bernstein, Danny, Hiking the Carolina Mountains, Milestone Press 2007
  • de Hart, Allen, North Carolina Hiking Trails, Globe Pequot Press, 2005
  • de Hart, Allen, Hiking North Carolina’s Mountains-To-Sea Trail, University of North Carolina Press, 2000
  • de Hart, Allen, Hiking South Carolina Trails, Globe Pequot Press, 2001
  • Gaddy, L.L. and Gaddy, Jr, L.L., A Naturalist’s Guide to the Southern Blue Ridge Front: Linville Gorge, North Carolina, to Talluah Gorge, Georgia 2000
  • Goldsmith, C.F. III, Hamrick, S.E.G., Hamrick, H.J. Jr. The Best Hikes of Pisgah National Forest. John F. Blair, 2000. A straight-forward guide to all the sections of Pisgah National Forest.
  • Gove, Doris, Exploring the Appalachian Trail: Georgia North Carolina Tennessee 1998
  • Great Smoky Mountains Association. Hiking Trails of the Smokies. 2003. A small guide which can be carried on a hike.
  • Great Smoky Mountains Association. Wildflowers of the Smokies. A small guide which can be carried on a hike.
  • Great Smoky Mountains Association. Trees of the Smokies. A small guide which can be carried on a hike.
  • Johnson, Randy , Hiking North Carolina, 2nd: A Guide to Nearly 500 of North Carolina’s Greatest Hiking Trails (State Hiking Series) 2007
  • Murray, Kenneth, Highland Trails: A Guide to Scenic Trails in Northeast Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and Southwest Virginia, 2005
  • Logue, V., Logue, F., Blouin, N. Guide to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Menasha Ridge Press, 2003. A description of the highlights and attractions of the Blue Ridge Parkway. A must, if you are driving the Parkway.
  • Regan, Niel, Spectacular Waterfalls of Western North Carolina: A Guide for Discovery and Photography 2008
  • Weber, W. for the Carolina Mountain Club. Trail Profiles and Maps: From the Great Smokies to Mount Mitchell and Beyond, 2nd Ed., The Carolina Mountain Club, 2009. Distances and trail profiles of the MST, from Fork Ridge to Black Mountain Campground.
  • Williams, Williams, Williams & Williams, 50 Hikes in the Mountains of North Carolina: Walks and Hikes from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Great Smokies, Second Edition 2001

Maps for Hiking the Southern Appalachians

Many maps can be purchased at Park and Forest Service visitor centers, and at outdoor stores.

US Forest Service maps:

  • Appalachian Ranger District, “Harmon Den & Hot Springs Area Trails Map” R8-RG 324
  • Appalachian Ranger District, “South Toe River, Mount Mitchell & Big Ivy Trail Map”
  • Pisgah Ranger District, “Shining Rock & Middle Prong Wildernesses”
  • Pisgah National Forest “Linville Gorge Wilderness”
  • Pisgah National Forest – Southern Research Station, “Bent Creek Trail Map“
  • Wilson Creek Area Trail Map
  • Southern Nantahala Wilderness & Standing Indian Basin
  • Nantahala National Forest
  • Chattooga – National Wild and Scenic River
  • Panthertown Trail System
  • Ellicott Rock Wilderness Map

US National Park Service:

National Geographic Trails Illustrated:

  • Pisgah Ranger District – #780
  • French Broad and Nolichucky Rivers – #782
  • South Holston and watauga Lakes – #783
  • Linville Gorge, Mt. Mitchell – Pisgah
  • National Forest – #779
  • Nantahala and Cullasaja Gorges – #785
  • Fontana and Hiwassee Lakes – #784
  • Great Smoky Mountains National Park – #229

USGS Topographic Maps:

  • CMC hikes list the USGS topo map(s) by name, e.g. Shining Rock, Dunsmore, Montreat, etc.

Other Maps:

US Forest Service Offices & visitor centers:

  • National Forests in North Carolina
    160A Zillicoa Street
    Asheville, NC 28802
    (828) 257-4200
    (Take U.S. 19/23, UNCA exit onto Broadway to Highland Park.)
  • French Broad District
    P.O. Box 128
    Hot Springs, NC 28743
    (828) 622-3202
    (On U.S. 25/70 in Hot Springs.)
  • Pisgah District
    1001 Pisgah Highway
    Pisgah Forest, NC 28768
    (828) 877-3350
    (On U.S. 276 north of Brevard.)
  • Toecane District
    P.O. Box 128
    Burnsville, NC 28714
    (828) 682-6146
    (On U.S. 19-E bypass in Burnsville.)