NANTAHALA NATIONAL FOREST was established in 1920 and spans over 830 square miles in Cherokee County, with various peaks reaching up to 1,200 feet. There are more than 600 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horse riding, and driving off-road vehicles.
Nantahala National Forest is the largest of the four national forests in North Carolina. It is situated in the most western part of the state, between Tennessee’s Cherokee National Forest to the north and Georgia’s Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest to the south.
Nantahala (NF) spans from the state’s western border over to the Blue Ridge Parkway and includes Cherokee, Graham, Clay, Jackson, Swain, Transylvania, and Macon Counties. Some of the major towns and cities include Murphy, Hayesville, Franklin, Highlands, Cashiers, Andrews, Nantahala, and Robbinsville.
You can see the forest in brown in the image below, despite the blurriness. For much better and official maps, click here.
Nantahala originates from a Cherokee word that means “land of the noon day sun” and refers to deep gorges like the Nantahala Gorge, where sunlight only reaches the bottom near mid-day. This region was first home to the Cherokee and other Indigenous peoples who lived in southern Appalachia for nearly four thousand years.
The Indian Removal Act of 1830 forcibly removed more than 16,000 Cherokee people along the Trail of Tears. Around 41 miles of documented removal routes are known in what is now the Nantahala National Forest. Some Cherokee remained in western North Carolina and became the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
From west to east, Nantahala National Forest is divided into three official districts: Tusquitee district around Murphy, Cheoah district around Robbinsville, and the Nantahala district around Franklin.
1. TUSQUITEE DISTRICT
Tusquitee comes from the Cherokee term for “where the water dogs laughed” and was possibly a name used for hellbenders or salamanders. This nearly 160,000 acre tract of land is based around Murphy, NC.
Main features of the Tusquitee District include three large TVA lakes named Chatuge, Appalachia, and Hiwassee, as well as two major rivers, the Hiwassee and Valley rivers. This area is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains and overlaps some of the Valley River Mountains range.
Some of this district’s most popular hiking trails include the Appalachian Trail (AT), the 11-mile Chunky Gal Trail along Tuni Creek, and the 25-mile Fires Creek Rim Loop Trail. The 5,280 feet high Tusquitee Bald and 5,492 feet high Standing Indian Peaks have some very impressive views.
Be on the lookout for various QR codes with information and facts about the area.
The notorious 98-mile Waterfall Byway route has a terminus in Murphy, and features more than 200 waterfalls in western North Carolina.
This area is also rich in Cherokee history, centered around the Cherokee Homestead Exhibit and its Cherokee Heritage Festival, the Quanassee Path, Spikebuck Town Mound, the Cherokee Cultural Center, Fort Hembree, and a segment of the Trail of Tears.
The Cherokee Cultural Center hosts a collection of Cherokee stone tools, games and sports gear, crafts, pottery, paddle stamping items, rivercane baskets, and stories. This is the other end of the Quanassee Path, so you could also start the trail here and then connect to the Cherokee Homestead Exhibit.
Hayesville Centennial Exhibit is managed by Historic Hayesville, Inc. and boasts a collection of Clay County history, photos, quilts, and other artifacts. It is the welcome center and starting point for the Clay County Barn Quilt Trail where you can pick up maps. For other types of arts and crafts, check out Blue Ridge Craft Trails.
Inside the Barn Quilt Studio, you can view photos and media about the quilts of the tour. You can even paint your own designs on blocks.
Speaking of crafts, the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown is a veritable hub for folk arts, crafts, and literature.
It was modeled after the Danish “folk high school” tradition and gained further popularity, in part, by the art of the Brasstown Carvers woodworking group.
Sadly, John died in 1919 before he could ever see the school come to fruition.
I was pleasantly surprised to see these adorable pieces by my friend at Flora & Function among the shelves of unique and handmade art.
This is the perfect place to pick up souvenirs, gifts, or treat yourself while support Appalachian culture and individual artists.
2. CHEOAH DISTRICT
The 120,500-acre Cheoah District is headquartered in Robbinsville, NC and extends to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Cheoah is the Cherokee word for otter, and its main features include the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, Lake Santeetlah and the Cheoah River, and the Cherohala Skyway.
Cheoah is known for being the most rugged and remote side of Nantahala National Forest, full of old-growth forests, whitewater rafting, and the usual outdoor activities. This district manages 320 miles of trails including part of the Appalachian Trail.
ROBBINSVILLE is also a tiny town with just 0.4 square miles and around 600 residents. Scenes from the films Nell and The Fugitive were filmed here, and the Avett Brothers released an ode to the town called Four Thieves Gone: The Robbinsville Sessions.
Since you are there, follow the gorgeous Cherohala Skyway aka TN State Hwy 165 and NC-143. “Chero-” comes from the Cherokee National Forest, and “-hala” comes from the Nantahala National Forest, both connected by the Skyway.
Tellico Plains
The west end of the Cherohala Skyway leads to Tellico Plains, Tennessee. This tiny town is the gateway to the Cherohala Skyway and currently has less than 1,000 residents.
Tellico Plans was once an Overhill Cherokee village called Telliquah and it is flush with Cherokee and Muscogee history, from the Tellico River to the Unicoi and Appalachian Mountains.
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest is a nearly 4,000 acre forest with one of the largest contiguous tracts of old-growth forest on the East Coast. Some of its trees over 450 years old and some have circumferences of 20 feet or more.
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest can be accessed from NC 143 onto a a two-mile side quest loop through this dense forest of poplar and hemlock trees.
If you really have world on a string, keep going into the tiny whitewater rafting hub of a town called Hartford, TN, and eat at Bean Trees Cafe.
Lake Santeetlah
Lake Santeetlah is just six miles from Robbinsville and about fifteen minutes from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Lake Santeetlah is the name for the the town itself and its gorgeous, award-winning lake that has been voted the most beautiful lake in America.
There are only around 200 residents here and most properties are either rental/vacation homes, campgrounds, and marinas.
Cheoah River is also used for technical, and expert-level whitewater rafting and hosts events around various high-flow release times.
3. NANTAHALA DISTRICT
The 250,000-acre Nantahala Ranger District is headquartered in Franklin, NC and is the largest administrative unit of the forest.
Panthertown Valley, Dry Falls, and Whiteside Mountain are the most prominent features in this district, as well as the Whitewater Falls, the highest waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains. It was formed in 2007 by combining two former districts called the Wayah and Highlands districts.
FRANKLIN is in Macon County along the Little Tennessee River. It was founded in 1820 then incorporated in 1855, and is the self-proclaimed “Gem Capital of the World” backed by its annual Macon County Gemboree. I have to say that Franklin is one of my top three favourite places in all of Nantahala National Forest.
Franklin is also celebrated for its Cherokee and Scottish heritage, and frequently hosts related events. The Scottish Tartans Museum & Heritage Center was first established by the Scottish Tartans Society in 1988, then moved to Franklin in 1994.
Over the decades, the Society has been displaying and educating the public about all known tartans and associated clans around the world as well as the traditions of Scottish Highland attire. Some of these 600+ varieties of tartans date back to 1725, and their online database holds over 11,000 different designs.
Franklin’s WOMEN’S HISTORY TRAIL is the first project of its kind in North Carolina to celebrate the lives and accomplishments of Macon County women over time, including African Americans and the Cherokee Indigenous women who lived there first, and their connection to this land, the Nikwasi Mound.
The monument below is called “Sowing the Seeds of the Future” and it is a Folk Heritage Association of Macon County multi-artist project that was donated to the city of Franklin in 2024.
It is anchored in the Women’s History Park, which is the starting point for the Women’s History Trail.
Pop by the American Museum of the House Cat afterward.
Cullasaja Falls are everything they are hyped up to be, but a storm started before I could get close enough to take decent photos. I RARELY use anyone else’s work in place of my own but in this case, you really just have to see it. Full credit and gratitude to NCWaterfalls.com for this one photo below: 
Dry Falls are located between Franklin and Highlands, with 75-feet high falls you can walk behind.
Parking is ticketed and the stairs are a little steep, but the walk is super short and the experience is well worth all of it.
I can not imagine why they call these DRY falls. Just look at them!
Very, very not dry.
The trail through and around the falls is nice too.
HIGHLANDS was founded in 1875 and at nearly 4,200 feet, it is one of most elevated incorporated towns east of the Mississippi River. Highlands has had many identities, first as a Cherokee town, then being settled by white folk who turned it into a health resort and a major golfing destination.
Estimated rainfall in Highlands can reach over 100 inches per year, making it one of the few temperate rain forests in the United States. The Pacific Northwest region shares similar qualities so you can imagine how lush and green it is. I dream of going back in cooler weather and exploring the trails.
The Highlands Biological Station was established in 1927 to study the diversity and abundance of this region’s plants and animals.
The Highlands History Museum & Historical Society was closed when I visited, but they hold an extensive collection of local history. The Highlands North Historic District has homes built as far back as the 1880s and it is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Highlands has a bustling downtown shopping district with lots of curious alleys and nooks full of even more shops.
Silver Eagle Gallery is full of giant geodes, gemstone jewelry, and nature-based gifts and decor.
More impressive, for me, is that they proudly source Native American made items and have for several decades.
I also loved Book Worm and Natural Selection.
Across from Book Worm, look for the super cute Hudson Library and its entrance sculpture.
Dead Artists Gallery is a quirky place full of curated old, weird, damaged, and doctored art. Some of it was quite nice, and some of it had been painted over with aliens and critters added to its landscape.
Jackson Hole Trading Post, One Wicker Cheese Co, and Appalachian Harvest were all fun finds.
CASHIERS was founded after gold was discovered in the 1840s, and it set off a major mining boom in Cashiers Valley.
The Cashiers Historical Society was founded in 1996 and has extended great effort into preserving four historic buildings including the Crooked Corners Cabin, the Hampton Schoolhouse, a historic kitchen, and the Zachary-Tolbert House.
Cashiers Historical Society also manages the At the Crossroads of Time exhibit that highlights more than 250 years of history in Cashiers.
The Zachary-Tolbert House was built in 1852, and it is a prominent historic building in Cashiers. A man named Mordecai Zachary built the house for his wife Elvira and their impending twelve kids.
There are a few outbuildings and a garden you can wander through.
I really enjoyed strolling through this park getting a close up of lush greenery, thoughtful landscaping, and serene nooks.
Look out for birds, rabbits, and sculptures hiding around each corner.
There is a fantastic extra-wide accessible boardwalk that leads through a significant portion of the park, and it is open to all guests.
There is also a paved greenway that leads through additional areas of the park.
Cashiers Sliding Rock and the Southern Nantahala Wilderness are all popular attractions in and around Cashiers.
Aside from my love of the Village Green, I really did not care much for Cashiers. It is not very walkable for its own residents, let alone the flocks of tourists it calls in.
Cashiers is known to be a tourist destination in a region of rich Indigenous history, but many of it shopping areas look like recycled pre-fab construction demonstrations. It lacks the authenticity and charm that I adore about the other towns of Nantahala National Forest.
Definitely worth a visit, though. A quick one.
In the area for a while? Follow me to the Foxfire Museum in Rabun County, Northwest Georgia Gems, Bryson City, Cherokee, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cherokee National Forest, or the Daniel Boone National Forest.
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