Whiteside Mountain National Recreation Trail located just outside of Highlands, NC is a heavily trafficked 1.9 mile loop up Whiteside Mountain and offers amazing views. When starting the trail, you can choose to stay left and hike up a gravel road or go right and start up steep steps. When we went, the gravel road was lined with icicles and we chose to stay that way for the gorgeous views. This way (clockwise), is also the easier route.
Upon reaching the top, the view was definitely worth it. Little did we know, that was just the beginning. We continued on the loop and enjoyed non-stop views all the way to the bottom. Every time we thought the trail would turn back into the woods, we had another overlook. We highly recommend this trail. It is one of our top 5 favorite hikes of all time. It is heavily trafficked and we have even skipped the hike in the past because we couldn’t find parking. Just go! Even though there was barely any parking spots, it didn’t feel that crowded. This is a spectacular trail!
Smalls and Talls Outdoors 