Hiking with a Pet.. Where in NC/TN?

[Theresa Lackinger]

Hello All,
Happy to have found the community! Over the past few weeks or so my boyfriend and I have planned a 3 day hiking trip on a section of the AT. Newfound Gap to Davenport Gap. We searched and planned and found this would be perfect for us. I did not overlook one single detail. Except one. The one we are usual to always check first. Can our German Shepherd hit the trail? Sadly, I read where a hiker had his pup along when first researching and just assumed that was it. The dog is allowed. Well, today we just found when looking up permit info found we were very wrong. Our hike is to begin next weekend.. got the time off work, have our gear ready, and our girl that loves to hit the trail is excited to go, etc but now not sure where we can go.

Any suggestions on a 3/4 day hike in the west side of NC or east side of TN would be great. A LOOP would be even better! I found that there are some loop trails that could be made out of the system in Cherokee National Forest, but when I try to find maps to devise a hike… well, I'm just not putting in the correct search terms or it's not as popular as the AT becuase I can't find much on it at all. That area would be ideal as our pup is allowed, but any suggestions would be appreciated outside of that area as well.
Thanks so much for any ideas sent my way!

[Mary D]

You need to find an area outside a national park. With a very few minor exceptions nationwide, national parks do not allow dogs on trails. This information is readily available on each park's website at http://www.nps.gov

Check out national forests in the area for far more dog-friendly trails. Do expect to keep your dog on leash most of the time, though. You won't find as much information about these trails, but you can get maps from the national forests involved.

Or you can pick a section of the AT that is in national forest land.

[CW]

Anywhere on the AT (down here) outside of the Smokies is fine as are most other areas. You could easily make a more leisurely (it's 30-35 miles) 3 day trip out of the Art Loeb trail but you'd need a shuttle. It's essentially a condensed version of the entire AT as far as the type of terrain you get and a beautiful area. There's also a good 50+ mile loop combining the AT and Bartram that starts/ends at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City.

[Theresa Lackinger]

Thanks so much to you both for your reply! I really appreciate it. A friend of mine lives in the area of Pisgah and saw my fb post and recommended the Art Loeb trail. We will be doing it. Looking forward to it so much! Once again, appreciate your replies and for the leads.
Take Care,
Resl

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