Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area

Eliz Russell

Beautiful hike. You may want to download AllTrails or something similar to help you navigate. We saw some people wandering off-trail to find the next section (though the red circles are rather easy to follow). Well-maintained trail with a couple well-marked detours as they complete their work. We hiked counter-clockwise in order to ease the steep climbs for my 3yo & 6yo. The river looked very brown & stagnant, not sure if you’d want to swim/wade in it?? Perhaps it was simply in need of rain. Lovely views at the lookout. In all, we hiked about 2.25miles. We’d definitely come back! Parking lot is dirt off a dirt road. There is a bathroom but it’s a composting toilet and I’m not sure how often it is cleaned. Bring your own hand sanitizer.

Scott Duval

What's nice about this place is it's small and not crowded. The trail near the parking lot is noisy due to highway, once you get to the back side you don't hear any traffic.

Sam M

Beautiful area. Lots of green trees and nature not far from the city. Trails are mostly defined while you hike. The map they ask you to take a picture of is inaccurate. Recommend using Google maps instead. The overlook is easy to get to except for the last bit of rocks and steep hill. The trails directions aren't well defined so you might end up on a tough hike without realizing. Overall, it was a great hike. I would say 4 stars only due to the struggle with trail markings.

Grace F.

really nice trails here! we enjoyed the river, overlook, and loop trail. however, the interstate (85) carried over for a good portion of some of the trails which made it not so peaceful. it was nice to be in nature, but if you’re just wanting to see a good view, go straight for the overlook trail.