Trail status (checked September 2026) — conditions change; confirm with the managing agency before you go.
- Mount Mitchell State Park is open but reachable only from the Asheville side of the Blue Ridge Parkway while Helene repairs continue north of the park. A section of the Old Mitchell Trail (park office to the Camp Alice Trail junction) and several connecting Pisgah National Forest trails were still closed. Source: NC State Parks
- The Catawba Falls loop reopened after Hurricane Helene, but the upper viewing platform and the Wildflower Trail were still closed for repairs. Source: U.S. Forest Service
Out-and-back trails have their place, but there’s something satisfying about finishing a hike having never seen the same stretch of dirt twice. A true loop hike gives you new scenery the entire way, which matters if you’re hiking with a group that moves at different speeds, trying to avoid the crowd bottleneck of a popular reverse route, or just want more variety per mile. The Asheville area has a genuine mix of loop options — short interpretive walks, waterfall circuits, and a few longer forest loops — but not every trail marketed as a “loop” near WNC actually is one. This page sticks to trails verified as full loops, with honest distance and difficulty notes, so you can pick one that matches your day instead of guessing.
Verified Loop Hikes Near Asheville
1. Graveyard Fields Loop (Blue Ridge Parkway, MP 418.8)
Distance/Difficulty: About 3.5 miles for the full loop including Upper Falls; Easy to moderate. This is the loop hike most people picture when they think of the Parkway near Asheville — a mile-high valley with two waterfalls, Second Falls being a short walk from the overlook and Upper Falls requiring more of the full loop to reach. The variety here is real: open meadow, streamside walking, and waterfall views without a single repeated stretch. The tradeoff is popularity — the overlook lot fills early on weekends and especially during fall color season, so this isn’t a spontaneous midday stop if you want parking.
2. Pink Beds Loop Trail
Distance/Difficulty: 5.0 miles, Easy, with roughly 100 feet of elevation change. If you want loop mileage without loop effort, this is the one. It winds through a wetland valley with stream bridges and stays nearly flat the entire way, making it one of the more approachable longer loops in the region — good for building hiking stamina without the punishing climbs found elsewhere in Pisgah.
3. Catawba Falls Trail (loop)
Distance/Difficulty: 3.5 miles loop, Easy to intermediate. This loop pairs a 205-foot lower falls with an 80-foot upper falls, and it reopened as a loop after Hurricane Helene — though at last check, the upper viewing platform and the Wildflower Trail portion were still closed. Worth checking current status before you go if seeing the upper falls up close is the whole point of your trip.
4. Max Patch Loop
Distance/Difficulty: A short loop to the summit, Easy to moderate. This is the bald-top loop people drive out for specifically because of the 360-degree grassy summit view on the Appalachian Trail. There are no permits or fees, but there is a firm rule set — no camping, no fires, groups capped at 10 — and the small lot fills early on fall weekends, sometimes before mid-morning.
5. Lovers Leap Loop Trail (Hot Springs)
Distance/Difficulty: About 1.6 to 2 miles loop (sources vary), Moderate. Set along the French Broad River in Hot Springs, this AT-connected loop climbs to rock outcrop views over the river. Bridge work after Hurricane Helene changed the walk-in route, so following posted detours at the trailhead matters more here than on most loops on this list.
6. High Falls Loop
Distance/Difficulty: Approximately 2 miles loop. A waterfall-focused circuit that gives you a full loop structure around a single falls destination — a solid middle-distance option if Graveyard Fields feels too crowded or Pink Beds feels too long.
7. Balsam Nature Loop (K.I.P. Track)
Distance/Difficulty: 0.7 mile loop, Moderate. Located within Mount Mitchell State Park, this short interpretive loop is a good option if you’re already up near the state park for the higher-elevation trails and want a quick add-on. Note that Mount Mitchell State Park is currently reachable only from the Asheville side of the Parkway while repairs continue on the north side.
8. Lake Tomahawk Park Walking Trail
Distance/Difficulty: 0.55 mile loop, Easy. This is the most-used amenity at Lake Tomahawk Park in Black Mountain, and it’s exactly what it sounds like — a flat, short, paved-adjacent loop around a lake. Not a wilderness experience, but genuinely useful for an easy morning walk, a warm-up before a bigger hike, or a trail that works with strollers and less mobile hikers.
9. Cascade Loop
Distance/Difficulty: 3.1 miles, described as a multiuse loop. This one shares trail space with other users, so it’s worth knowing that going in if you’re expecting a hiker-only experience. It’s a reasonable mid-distance loop option for those wanting more mileage without full-day commitment.
How We Ranked These
Three things mattered most in choosing which loops to feature: whether the trail is confirmed as an actual loop rather than an out-and-back that gets marketed loosely as one, how current the access information is post-Hurricane Helene, and whether the scenic payoff — waterfall, summit view, bald, or lake — justifies the loop format over a simpler out-and-back. Trails with unresolved closures or missing loop confirmation were left off this list entirely rather than included with caveats that undercut the whole point of a loop-focused page.
Parking and Trailhead Reality
Graveyard Fields and Max Patch are the two trailheads on this list most likely to frustrate you with parking. Both have small lots relative to their popularity, and both fill early on weekends and during leaf season — arriving before mid-morning is the realistic move if you want to park at the trailhead itself rather than along the shoulder. Catawba Falls and Lovers Leap involve trail sections still adjusting to Hurricane Helene damage, so trailhead access and routing may differ from older maps or trip reports. Lake Tomahawk’s lot serves a town park and behaves more like a neighborhood parking situation than a wilderness trailhead — generally easier, but can still fill during local events.
Seasonal Notes
Fall color season pushes crowds hard onto the Blue Ridge Parkway loops — Graveyard Fields especially — and that congestion extends to the drive itself, not just the parking lot. Higher-elevation loops near Mount Mitchell State Park can carry colder, wetter conditions well after valley trails have dried out and warmed up, so layering matters more up there than the mileage alone suggests. Lower-elevation loops like Lake Tomahawk and Cascade Loop are more forgiving year-round since they don’t depend on Parkway access or high-elevation weather swings.
Access Notes
Several of these loops sit in areas still working through Hurricane Helene recovery, and that shows up as partial closures rather than full shutdowns — the upper platform at Catawba Falls, the rerouted approach at Lovers Leap, and the access restriction limiting Mount Mitchell State Park to Asheville-side entry. None of these closures rule out hiking the loop itself, but they can change what you actually see at the destination feature. Checking current conditions before you drive out, especially for anything tied to Parkway mile markers or state park access, saves a wasted trip more often than not.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the easiest true loop hike near Asheville?
Lake Tomahawk Park Walking Trail, at 0.55 miles, is the flattest and shortest confirmed loop on this list. For a longer easy loop with more scenery, Pink Beds Loop Trail covers 5.0 miles with only about 100 feet of elevation change.
Which loop hike has the best waterfall payoff?
Graveyard Fields Loop delivers two waterfalls — Second Falls and Upper Falls — within a single loop, which is more waterfall variety per trail than any other loop on this list.
Are any of these loop trails affected by Hurricane Helene closures?
Yes. Catawba Falls Trail’s upper viewing platform and Wildflower Trail section were still closed at last check, and Lovers Leap Loop Trail has a rerouted approach due to bridge work. Both remain hikeable as loops, but check current conditions before heading out.
Is Max Patch Loop good for a first-time visitor to the area?
Yes — it’s short, the summit view is immediate payoff for the effort, and there are no fees or permits required. The main planning consideration is arriving early enough to get a parking spot, especially on fall weekends.
Can I bring dogs on these loop hikes?
The verified data for these trails doesn’t specify pet policies, so check with the managing agency — Pisgah National Forest, the Blue Ridge Parkway, or the relevant state or town park — before assuming leash rules or access.
For the full range of verified hikes near Asheville — filterable by difficulty, distance, and current conditions — browse the complete WNC Trails directory at /directory-category/trails-hiking/. Conditions on Western North Carolina trails continue to shift as recovery work progresses, so it’s worth checking current conditions before you head out, even for trails that have reopened.
Related Pages
This guide is part of our best hikes near Asheville NC series, built only on officially verified trail data.
