During busy times you may have problems finding parking (paid area) The trail starts off with a couple of flights of stairs. When you reach the top the left side is the "easier" side up to the top and the right side is more stone stairs that is a shorter distance, but tougher climb. We took the left side going up and down. There are large rock areas along the way, which might make it difficult if you have mobility problems. Otherwise, it was a bit wet on the path in places, but it had rained a good bit of the day before. The whole path is a light incline the entire way up, but an easy decline on the way down. There are no sitting areas along the path when you reached the top there are two overlooked areas. The better view is the one all the way to the right there is a sign, noting the continental divide on either side of White side Mountain very cool. It was definitely worth the hike. It took us about 30 minutes to get to the top. I saw people with dogs and children a lot. It is a very family friendly activity. read more

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This might be my new favorite trail! The parking lot was very busy but we did not see many people on the trail. There are lots of look outs and the views are amazing! Bathrooms are pretty gross. read more

Whiteside Mountain Trail - Hiking Near Me - Highlands, North Carolina

What an incredible place I drove to that was as breathtaking as visiting the nearby Smoky Mountains. Such a short trail that's reasonably easy to scale but the views are breath taking. It's worth the $3 fee honestly. Restrooms have no hand sanitizer sadly. Plenty of great information and history to be learned about the mountain. You can see right into Georgia too! Highly recommend visiting! read more

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Awesome hike! Several overlooks on the way. I would say it was a moderate hike. Very clean area!! Highly recommended

The ridge line of Whiteside forms the Eastern Continental Divide, at 4,930 feet. Half-a-billion years old, it's one of the oldest mountains in the world. We arrived at the trailhead for the Whiteside Mountain Trail around 11 am on a Thursday in late September, 2023. Managed by the US Forest Service (USDA), the parking lot has about 20? spaces; we got the last available slot. There's a kiosk to pay the $3 fee (free for national park pass holders), restrooms, and some signage about the area. The loop trail is 2.0 miles, with a total elevation gain of about 530'. If you hike up in a counter-clockwise direction, you'll quickly encounter a series of steps (both natural and man made) that are reputed to be strenuous, climbing 500' in half-a-mile. You'll reach the trail along the ridge, with many overlooks, faster and be able to return on a more gentle descent. As I have some balance issues, especially on trails with rocks and tree roots, we decided to go both up and down on the more gentle trail. As promised, the views on top were breathtaking! Unfortunately, we didn't see any Peregrine Falcons which were re-released in this area in 1986 and are reportedly thriving. We did, however, see a lot of wildflowers. The trail does have a lot of rocks (but no scrambling) and roots, and some "tall" step-ups. I'm happy that I wore hiking boots and brought along a hiking pole. Also, the trail is relatively easy to follow but would benefit from more signage. Also note that this is a popular trail, so you'll see a lot of other hikers. I'd love to return to see the area when autumn leaves are changing. read more

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This trail did not disappoint. It is a pay lot ($3) and worth every penny. There are bathrooms at the parking lot. It is a loop trail that is about 2 miles round trip. The elevation gain is decent. We went clockwise so the major views are in the 2nd half of the hike. It had been cold the day we went so there were a ton of icicles on the right side hanging off of the ledges that our kids went and picked. That made for some fun! The views are all on your left and are breath taking. The first few did not have railings but dropped down to a smaller ledge not far below. The later ones had railings, which weren't the most reassuring, but those drops were huge and sheer. I loved that it was one view point after another for about 10 minutes of the hike. Take a picture of the rock with the elevation inscribed on it (4930ft.). We felt safe the whole time. read more

1.9 mile hike - it takes an average on 1.5 hours to finish or less. Do it counterclockwise for a hard estará and an easy descend. The best hike for best views in Highlands, NC read more

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$3 parking by app making an account, or there's a credit card machine by the bathrooms. The trail goes up some steps then branches into the sides of the loop - left side is a steady incline up on a wide trail and then stairs narrow paths at time down, right side is stairs up and steady incline down. We thought after reaching the viewpoint that was it - but then were rewarded with several more overlooks. It's worth the hike, but parking was a mess. read more

Whiteside Mountain Trail - One of the many views - Hiking Near Me - Highlands, North Carolina

Do your homework for this hike... BRING CASH. Otherwise you will spend 20 minutes shivering trying to download an app with exactly 0 LTE to make a $2 payment to the National Forest. And don't get me wrong, I appreciate National Parks and the maintenance that goes into trails I just don't love a clunky internet webpage in the middle of the woods. The trail is famous for its views. Unfortunately our trip was cloudy on cloudy every day and so we decided to take the trail despite not being able to see beyond a foot in front of us because of fog and rain. Fortunately it was still a blast! Decent low grade elevation (I prefer a steeper hike up rather than down, so if you are like me, take this trail counterclockwise), a lot of turns and well manicured enough to know where you need to go. There are several wide areas that are great for resting/reading etc... Lovely little hike. Bring cash. read more

The trail was well marked easy to hike and beautiful. Rocks, trees, mini water falls, creeks abs lots to see along the way. The view at the end was cloudy and foggy but still worth the hike. I've seen it in a clear day and it is spectacular! A wonderful way to spend your day! read more

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Great hike, most of the trail was easily accessible and able to do with a 3 yr old and grandparents (we did have to carry the little one for a bit). We went in February and there was a bit of ice to be cautious of, we ended up going up and back as opposed to the loop because some fellow hikers mentioned the loop and stairs were particularly icy. When you get to the top there are two great spots for pictures and a rest. Some great views of the lakes beyond the mountain range and you can see Clemson if you look! read more

Great hiking trail between Cashiers and Highlands NC. Took about 2 hrs, first half of the hike is mostly uphill, but not a miserable climb. The last half is mostly small climbs and descents with flats in between with great views. Good for families. Parking lot is decent sized, but can get busy, so go early. read more

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Beautiful views at top but trail is poorly maintained by US Forest Service even though it is a fee area and by the looks of number of visitors they are making serious money. Trails are actually dangerous in many places. Very narrow, muddy, wet slippery inclines and declines. Parking is also terrible so go early. All that said it is beautiful at the top. read more

Want to hike a trail that you will feel in the morning? Whiteside Mountain is your Huckberry! THE EXPERIENCE From the parking area you will climb a set of earth & wooden steps just behind the information sign. Once you reach the top of the steps go left until you get to the split in the trail marked "more strenuous" with an arrow pointing right. I chose to take the easier path up the old gravel road on the left. It was already past sunset and I feared hiking the strenous trail would drain what little energy I had after a full day of sightseeing the Highlands, NC area. I didn't want to be on the trail after dark considering I didn't have a flashlight. If the trail guide is correct and this is a 2.5 mile loop, then approximately one mile of it is the gravel road portion of the trail. Consider it the "boring half because there is really nothing to see the entire way up until you come to an overlook @ the Northeast corner of the mountain. There are two different vantage points. One offers a partially obscure view due to vegetation, while the other gives a really clear view from a stone ledge. Nearby is an observation platform with an even better view. This begins your second and far more scenic half of the trail as you are literally walking along a 700 foot granite cliff. The density of the trees doesn't allow for much of a view o the left, however, there are nothing but views on the right until the final overlook. Below you is the face of the mountain that gives it the name Whiteside. Just like Stone Mountain in Georgia, Whiteside was once a massive molten rock that formed millions of years ago and sat below layers of earth. As with Stone Mountain, once it cooled heat and pressure pushed the rock closer to the surface and erosion of softer surrounding materials did the rest. The white face of the mountain is due to streaks of quartz and feldspar. I didn't count, but there must be at least 9 total overlooks along the cliff side of the trail, all with incredible views and a few that will make people who are are afraid of heights gasp in fear. One of the overlooks has a stone knoll you can climb for a scary, but excellent photo opportunity. It will look like you are on top of the world if taken at the right angle! I believe this was also the summit, because of some old markings in the stone and what seems to have once been a Geodetic Survey Marker that you normally find at the summit of any mountain. It was missing, so I couldn't tell for sure if that was the summit. After the last marker, the descent s fast and steep. This would have killed my legs had I ascended this way, so I was grateful I took the easier path! My hike time was fairly quick, and going this more difficult route would have probably added over 30 minutes to my hike. As it was, I started late and BARELY finished with a little sunlight remaining. TRAIL STATS Difficulty: Moderate Total Length: 2.5 mi Trail Tread Condition: Moderately Rough Climb: Hilly Lowest Elevation: 4410 ft Highest Elevation: 4930 ft Total Elevation Gain: 600 ft FINAL THOUGHTS I forgot to mention that just before you get to the summit, there is a huge fissure in one section of the cliff side that is large enough for a human to pass through. It leads you to a really scary natural stone ledge with almost a batman like view of the surrounding valley. This was truly one of the most spectacular hikes I've had the pleasure of experiencing. It was Fall, so the colorful views were breathtaking and I even got a GREAT shot of the sun as it disappeared for the evening. A must for avid hikers living anywhere within a few hours drive. 2016/129 read more

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Fantastic hike in Highlands. Panoramic vistas abound. A relatively easy climb that most novices should have no issue with. High elevations and cooler air help a lot! read more

The trail itself is great, but the bathroom in the parking lot is beyond disgusting. I see so many people go in and out and I'm amazed that there aren't more reviews on here regarding the bathrooms. I'm just saying, if they're charging fees for this many people to hike, you would think they could at least provide a decent restroom for those preparing for/ concluding their one hour hike. My family has been coming here for years and if I ever have to use the restroom here, it honestly ruins my day. Please do better. read more

Limited parking with a few dollars fee via the "honors" system. Pretty decent hike and incline with great views. Takes about an hour depending on pace but well worth it. read more

Just a short drive from downtown Highlands, Whiteside Mountain offers some of the most spectacular views in western North Carolina. From the parking lot, take the gravel road to the summit, a relatively steep but easy 2-mile hike. Then follow the more challenging trail around the peak and back down toward the base. There are at least 8 different overlooks along the trail, each offering a more impressive view than the last. Both trails are moderately challenging, but well-maintained. Allow yourself at least 2 hours to make the round trip hike to the summit and enjoy the scenery. Highly recommended. read more

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Beautiful trail. Lots of hikers but still plenty of space. Views are spectacular. Recommend ascent first.

Take the hard trail to the right on your way up. There are several little 'doglegs' off the beaten path that bring you to some outstanding vistas. The walk back down is MUCH easier if you do the hard part first. Very challenging!!!! Loved it. Your ankles and calves will burn!!!! Views on top are outstanding!!!! The workout was great. So glad we went. $2? Wow. What a deal. read more

Yesterday, when I went to Whiteside Mountain, it was still covered in snow from about a week ago. This made the parking lot a little difficult to get in and out of because the ice/snow had only been been plowed off the roads and not the parking lot. Everyone was helping each other in and out by pushing cars when needed, which was a nice sight to see. The bathrooms are basically just porta-potties, which smell terrible. However, this can easily be avoided because Cashiers and Highlands are close, so you can use the restroom in one of those towns before you go to the trail. The trail itself is a loop trail about 2.5 miles long. I recommend going up the left side first because the incline is more gradual and less steep than the right side. For most of the trail, you will be walking along the edge of mountain side. There is a fence in most places so, you know, you don't fall to your death. It's an absolutely gorgeous view, and a pleasant hike. read more

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Felt longer than 2 miles but well worth it. No waterfalls but amazing scenery including the apparent high point of local mountains, so you can see all around. Did it with my wife and 6 year old. Totally reasonable with them. $2 donation at the base. Well kept trail. read more