Appalachian Trail Section Hike: Hot Springs North Carolina
Hot Springs North Carolina is the first town the Appalachian Trail walks directly through when heading NOBO on the AT from Georgia! In 2023 we section hiked 1,225 miles of the Appalachian Trail, the longest footpath in the world, and spent 13 weeks day hiking, working, and van camping on the Appalachian Trail as we moved up the trail slowly from Georgia to Maine. In this series we cover each section we hiked and in this article we cover the area Northbound and Southbound from the epic trail town of Hot Springs North Carolina.
Hot Springs, North Carolina. The Appalachian Trail goes right through town!
If heading NOBO (Northbound) on the Appalachian Trail Hot Springs North Carolina’s town is marked as mile 279.4 of the 2023 AT Distance and is the first town the at goes directly through. The direct access to the trail, the hot springs in the town, and funky amenities make hot springs an outstanding place to spend a long weekend hiking this section of the at!
Big Pillow Brewing Company, home of the Best Taqueria located on the AT!
Hot Springs NC Appalachian Trail Section Hike Need to Know’s:
The trail runs directly through town. Big Pillow Brewing, the pizza, the coffee, the Hot Springs resort, the outfitters, and the hostels are basically all located on the Appalachian Trail!
There is no shelter in town but if you are a section hiker and want to set up shop camping for the weekend the Hot Springs Resort also has a huge campground with showers, water, etc located right on the trail and the French Broad River.
Max Patch and Lover’s Leap are two popular close by scenic spots of the AT from town.
The trail weaves back and forth between North Carolina and Tennessee during this portion of the AT. Just a few “gaps” ahead of Hot Springs and behind it you will find yourself back in the state of Tennessee.
The Blue Ridge Hiking Company has a hostel in town that was founded by Jennifer Pharr Davis, who set a FKT by a woman on the AT in 2011. The Laughing Heart Lodge is also in town and has been around since 1974.
Hot Springs also offers rafting trips, hot springs (naturally!), is close to Asheville, and has the best taqueria I have ever been to in the United States. (The Grey Eagle at Big Pillow Brewing.) It was one of our favorite trail towns of the entire AT and we spent four nights here.
What else happened that was memorable during this section hike?
This was the first section of the Appalachian Trail that I have hiked more than once. I had been to Hot Springs and hiked NOBO before so it was a fun experience to be back “for the first time!”
We saw turtles often in the fog on the trail and that was a surprising and fun wildlife encounter!
Hot Springs is nestled between the mountains, the whole town is basically a “gap” and as a result of it being in between two rainy mountain ranges it can be a foggy and wet place! We used our rain gear a lot and actually lost all charge on our camper van because the sun wasn’t coming out to provide energy to our solar panels.
We went to Franklin NC and Hot Springs NC back to back and it was our favorite back to back trail town 1-2 punch until we ended up at the end of the trail in Maine with Monson and Millinocket.
Asheville is just 40 minutes away so if you want to combine with a trip to do some of the nearby hiking in this area it’s super close and easy to add in.
There are LOTS of gaps to stage or leave a car if heading NOBO from Hot Springs, far fewer if you are heading SOBO on the AT from Hot Springs. There was also some very frisky and active bears when heading North and while it wasn’t required it was strongly encouraged to have bear cans and not do any “gawking” around on the trail.
Learning about the French Broad River. How old it is (260-325 million years old), its length (219 miles), and the fact it goes the “wrong way” are all equally astounding to me!
What gear did I use and like the most on my 2023 AT Section Hike?
Hoka One Kaha’s were my trusted shoes for this day (and for the whole summer on the trail.)
I used my REI 40 Liter Backpack. This worked great since I was coming on and off the trail every day but most thru-hikers or multi-day section hikers were looking at bigger packs than mine.
Darn Tough Vermont and Merino Wool Socks from REI and SmartWool were my go to’s.
Osprey Water Bladder and Lifestraw Collapsible Filter for hydration.
I wore New Balance running shorts mainly and much preferred that to more typical hiking shorts.
Gaiters were a must as was coating our clothes in Permethrin to avoid ticks. (We did not get any ticks remarkably while hiking the AT in 2023.)
The AT Guide by AWOL and AT Conservancy are AMAZING resources for a hike on the AT!
We loved the Churro’s at Grey Eagle and Cotopaxi loved barking at all the hikers from the patio while we ate.
I had been to Hot Springs North Carolina as I mentioned earlier so this was no surprise that we loved our section hike here. We spent four days and I think it was about the right amount. We hiked NOBO and back one day, SOBO and one back one day, farther NOBO the next day, and took a day in Asheville for groceries, hiking, the dog park/grooming, and working. All in all Hot Springs was expected to be one of our favorite trail towns and section hikes of the summer. It met the expectations we had and was exactly what we were hoping for!
The AT in this area is part hike, part experience. The trail community is a huge part of the AT experience and while it doesn’t exist without the hike some times it’s important to enjoy more than just the hike. We had a lot of fun and goofed off more than usual in Hot Springs and that was part of the point.
To experience the AT beyond the AT. Hot Springs is one of the best places you can do this at on the entire 2,200 miles of it!
The trail winds off the road as you leave Hot Springs and back into the woods (just look for the double white blazes!)
A week long trip to Asheville and Hot Springs (and maybe Boone NC too) is one of the best ways to experience the mountains on the East Coast of the US. IF you like craft beer it’s also an explosive HOPPY scene it seems in this area.
We hiked 15 mile days but it seemed like we had so much additional time due to the fact that the trail was RIGHT THERE where we camped at. It was great having it be a five minute walk out of the campground and onto the trail. This was another reason we love the AT, the ability to hop on and hop off.
Thanks for reading and happy trails to you! Whether you are planning a thru, section, or day hike…or are a trail town local, trail angel, or just someone wanting to learn more about the longest footpath in the world…I hope the Appalachian Trail gives you what you need! Don’t forget to Leave No Trace and pack your 10 Essentials!
Comment below with questions or your experience on this section.
Our North Carolina AT Trail Towns Podcast Episode can be found HERE or on your podcasts app and it details all of the trail towns we experienced in the state.
Because Adventure Feeds the Soul,
Mike R
