Nantahala National Forest: a great place to hike in western North Carolina
The Nantahala National Forest is the largest one in the state of NC, which is known for its large tracts of wilderness and hiking paths. If you like to camp, hike, bird watch, or visit waterfalls, this is the place for you, as the Nantahala National Forest has more than one and a half million acres of land. The name “Nantahala” is from the Cherokee language, meaning “noon sun”, because most of this region is covered by a thick canopy of old growth trees and the river gorge generally gets bathed in sunlight at high noon, while at other times of day the sunlight is obscured by the forests.
In the Snowbird section of Nantahala National Forest are many trails alongside creeks and streams, dotted with wildflowers. The rare pileated woodpecker, which grows to the size of about two feet tall with a wingspan approaching three feet, can be found here, as can rare plants like mountain ginseng. In this section of the forest are two beautiful falls Sassafras and Big Falls. Although the water from waterfalls in the Nantahala National Forest is ice cold, if you can locate a swimming hole, creek, or calm enough waterfall, you will find that in the heat of summer the bracing water is actually quite refreshing, especially after a long and tiring hike. And if you don’t want to take the whole plunge, you can just slip off your hiking boots and soak your feet to help them get some instant therapeutic relief.