Favorite places to hike in the South

For Earth Day I figured I’d share a few of my favorite places to hike in the South.

1. Smoky Mountains National Park ⛰️- The Smokies will always be my top pick for Spring/Summer hiking; the views are beautiful no matter where you go. It’s no wonder it’s the most visited National Park in the country. The only downfall is dogs aren’t allowed on most trails, and parking can be a nightmare in the summer.

2. Cumberland Island National Seashore 🌊- Located off exit 1 in Southern Georgia this island requires a 45 minute ferry ride to get to, once there you can visit ruins from an old settlement and watch wild horses roam. Cumberland is also fairly close to Driftwood Beach in Jekyll Island. I would recommend this destination in the fall/winter due to heat and humidity, and like the Smokies dogs aren’t allowed.

3. Magnolia Plantation 🐊- This Garden/Swamp is located in Charleston, SC and as of Summer 2022 offered a return ticket for the same week of original visit. While if it’s “hiking” is debatable, the swamp loop was peaceful and full of wildlife. If you bring your dog be mindful of gators in the area, my dog was almost attacked there 😬. The actual Plantation and gardens are extremely busy if you have a reactive dog.

4. Local Botanical Gardens 🪻- Another debatable place to trail walk, but arguably my favorite for local outings are botanical gardens, the one pictured is the Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in Jacksonville, Fl. While more busy than other options I like to go to, I do enjoy how contained and safe feeling the area is. My local park is about 4.3 miles for the entirety of the major trails and closer to 6 for some of the smaller off shooting ones. IMO it’s always worth it to check out what your city offers to allow you to get out into nature.

#hiking #dog #lemon8 #tennessee #northcarolina #southcarolina #georgia #florida #mountains#earthday2023