Trails & Parks Snapshots

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Minutes outside of Old Fort in Pisgah National Forest, Catawba Falls delivers a breathtaking 100-foot cascade along a shaded mountain river trail, featuring well-maintained footbridges and boardwalk system leading straight to one of Western North Carolina’s most iconic waterfalls.

This flagship MTA project along the banks of the scenic Catawba River provides an accessible, paved path for walking, running, and cycling, seamlessly connecting visitors to quiet fishing piers, peaceful wildlife overlooks and access to a Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail site.

Climbing nearly 1,000 feet along the historic highway roadbed from Old Fort to Ridgecrest, the paved 3.6-mile Point Lookout Trail offers expansive mountain vistas across Swannanoa Gap and bird’s-eye views of active railroad tunnels.

Winding through peaceful hardwood forests and gentle rolling terrain, the paved Corpening Memorial YMCA Greenway offers a scenic 1.6-mile retreat right in Marion, complete with shaded footbridges, quiet creek views, and an accessible path perfect for daily walks, running, and family bike rides.

On the Catawba River minutes outside of Marion, Greenlee Park offers a peaceful outdoor escape with a picnic pavilion, paved greenway, nature trail and direct river access perfect for swimming and fishing. Combine the greenway and nature trail for a 1.1 mile loop.

Offering plenty of reward for little effort, Toms Creek Falls is an easy-to-moderate, 1-mile round-trip hike that leads visitors to a scenic waterfall and the historic stone remnants of an old mica mine. Suitable for an hour-long outing any time of year, the trail meanders along a Toms Creek, then climbs roughly 200 feet to reach the 80-foot cascading falls.