Sliding Rock is a well-known summertime tradition in Western North Carolina. Unfortunately, with its notoriety come heat-stricken hordes seeking solace on the 60-foot natural waterslide, which runs into Looking Glass Creek in the Pisgah National Forest near Brevard. The water stays icy cold through the steamy summer months, as it churns 11,000 gallons per minute down the slippery rock, so waiting in line will be worth it when you splash into the seven-foot deep pool below. And heck, a natural experience like this sure beats an overpriced, over-chlorinated water park. The Forest Service has turned Sliding Rock into a recreation area. It’s open year-round, but a lifeguard is on duty from Memorial to Labor Day.

Hump Mountain sits on the end of a series of bald beauties in the Roan Highlands along the North Carolina/Tennessee border. The best way to take in the Roan experience is...

Despite its proximity to Virginia Beach, Back Bay is tucked in a primitive cove that feels far removed from civilization.

On Max Patch you can’t help but think of The Sound of Music. The lush open summit will make you feel like singing to the surrounding sky—a kaleidoscope of color during a summer sunset...

A kayaker rides "the bull"—the class-IV rapid Bull Sluice—on the Chattooga River. The 57-mile, free-flowing Chattooga River plunges south from the Nantahala Mountains.

Paddlers enjoy the calm waters of Bear Lake, one of the most pristine, undeveloped mountain lakes in the region that sits in the Nantahala National Forest in Jackson County.

Jennifer Foster runs the Table Rock Trail near the summit of Table Rock Mountain. To reach the flat granite 3,124-foot summit...

Seneca’s two sandstone peaks reach into the West Virginia sky like razor-back fins, hovering 900 feet over the North Fork River below. Over 375 multi-pitch trad climbing routes criss-cross Seneca Rocks, ranging from 5.0 to 5.12. Seneca also offers panoramic hiking opportunities, including the West Side Trail, a 1.3 mile steep footpath along the North Edge that starts behind the Seneca Rocks Discovery Center.

The North Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac River is more than just a confusing name; it’s a swimming hole mecca and the testing ground for many novice paddlers.