At A Glance

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail

• Is North Carolina’s longest marked footpath
• Is North Carolina’s state trail 
• Climbs both the tallest mountain peak and the highest sand dune in the Eastern United States
• Is being built and maintained by trail clubs, local communities and state parks
• Passes through 37 counties
• Showcases the state’s diverse landscape —hardwood forests and tea-colored swamps, fading tobacco crossroads and reviving urban centers, courthouse square towns and rugged gorges, remote lighthouses and mountain overlooks.
• Passes through three national parks and two national wildlife refuges
• Meanders through three national forests
• Passes three lighthouses, including the nation’s tallest
• Connects to seven state parks
• Was proposed in 1977 and added to the state park system in 2000.

FUN FACTS ABOUT THE MST

• Highest elevation: 6,684 feet —on Mt. Mitchell
• Lowest elevation:  sea level — Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
• Takes approximately 2,112,000 footsteps to complete.
• Includes three ferry rides
• 800 volunteers worked more than 20,000 hours to build and maintain the trail in 2009
• The Mountains-to-Sea Trail showcases the diversity of North Carolina’s natural beauty from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean.