Hiking in Rutherford County

ROC offers about 20 guided hikes a year exploring many areas of Rutherford County and nearby public lands. Check the Events tab for the latest calendar. Make sure to get on our e-mail list to get updates on the hike schedule.

Popular Hiking Sites

Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park is open year-round and offers mutiple hiking and nature education opportunities. Additonal lands are being acquired in the area to form an expanded Chimney Rock State Park. Additional hiking opportunities will be added to the park in coming years. ROC is lucky to have members who are very experienced in hiking these lands and and are willing to lead hikes for us.

Another hiking location near Rutherford County is South Mountain State Park, which borders the county on the northeast. The park has numerous hiking trails and waterfalls. There is also a 17-mile mountain biking loop. The South Mountain Gamelands border the state park and are mostly in Rutherford County. The gamelands are open to hiking, but no trail maps exist. Anyone hiking in the gamelands should be fully aware of hunting seasons and safety related to hiking in gamelands. The state park and the gamelands together amount to about 40,000 acres of public land.

The Nature Conservancy owns the Bat Cave Preserve near Chimney Rock Village, and offers summer guided hikes.