Get a taste of the Great Trail, great lodging and fine eats. These weekend-friendly walks let you enjoy America’s most iconic trail in style, and all end with a great overnight stay.
Photo Above: The Appalachian Trail walk into Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, is a delight from either direction.
The Blue Ridge region is home to one of the planet’s largest and most concentrated swaths of protected mountain lands — and the Appalachian Trail runs smack through the middle of it all.
While there’s much ado about tackling the iconic route in one go, weekend section hikes are infinitely more user-friendly. And planning them around great mountain towns with destination-worthy overnights makes for the perfect mix of ruggedness and comfort.
Here we bring you seven scenic AT adventures paired with some of the Blue Ridge’s best eats, drinks and stays.
West Virginia
Stay: Find the Light Horse Inn about a half-mile from the AT on the outskirts of downtown Harpers Ferry. The seven-suite boutique occupies a Georgian-style brick manor that dates to the 1770s. Rooms are spacious and boast lux mattresses, antique furniture, exposed original brick walls and gorgeous modern bathrooms. lighthorseinn.com
Hike: Harpers Ferry National Historic Park entrance off U.S. 340 to Weverton Cliffs, about eight miles. Begin with a climb to a high, wooded ridgeline on the south side of town then descend into the riverfront historic district. Cross the Potomac River via a repurposed 19th century railroad trestle catching magnificent views of the surrounding cliffs and Shenandoah River confluence. Pursue the scenic C&O Canal Bike Trail along the riverbank for about three miles then climb to the rocky outcropping at Weverton Cliffs for spectacular southwest panoramas of the river and town.
Eat/Drink: Snallygaster’s Café & Wine Bar is housed in a renovated turn-of-the-century, stick-style general store decorated with historic heirlooms that celebrate its past. The barn-style bar offers regional wines, craft cocktails and local brews. Soak them up with solid New Southern fare like pan-seared shrimp and chorizo sausage served over polenta and doused in jalapeno chimichurri sauce. snallygasterscafe.com
Virginia
Stay I: Find Paris’s 10-room Ashby Inn in a two-story white stucco colonial that dates to 1829. Rooms are uniquely furnished with antiques like hand-painted wardrobes, fourposter beds and oriental rugs. Modern touches like bright paint, skylights, private balconies and hammered copper sinks keep things feeling balanced. ashbyinn.com
Hike I: Out-and-back from Ashby Gap Trailhead to Sky Meadows State Park’s Whitehouse Overlook, about 4.6 miles. Start about 1.2 miles from the inn at the U.S. 50 AT crossing. Climb south through dense forests for about two miles, eventually passing into 1,862-acre Sky Meadows State Park and a string of lovely high-elevation meadows. Here you’ll bask in 1,500-foot eastward views of Paris, the historic Ovoka Farm and upper Crooked Run Valley. Follow the Whitehouse Overlook Trail for about .5 miles to unimpeded panoramas of the state park, town and valley.
Eat/Drink I: The Ashby’s famed onsite eatery awaits in a t-shaped, Civil War-era addition. Visitors will love chef Brian Groose’s local-sourced, upscale take on southern comfort food. Treat your tastebuds to starters like crispy pork belly topped with tomato jam and creamy artichoke puree. Proceed to mains like cocoa nib crusted rack of venison.
Stay II: The 25-room Big Meadows Lodge was built in 1939 on a 3,500-foot ridge in Shenandoah National Park a mile from its namesake meadow. Small cabins and multi-use buildings holding 71 rooms and suites have since been added. Stone patios and wooden decks with soaring vistas of the Page Valley and Massanutten Mountain range abound. nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/lodging.htm
Hike II: To and from the lodge via the AT, Rose River Loop Trail, Dark Hollows Falls Trail and Story of the Forest trail, about 6.3 miles. Pursue Blackrock Trail to beautiful Shenandoah Valley views from a rocky, 3,727-foot summit. Continue to the AT and hike south through lush forests for about 1.5 miles to partial westward views from 3,070-foot Fishers Gap Overlook. Follow Red Gate Fire Road to Skyline Drive and cross onto the Rose River Loop. Descend along switchbacks to its namesake river and a rushing 67-foot waterfall. Follow the river and Hogcamp Branch for about 1.5 miles to Dark Hollow Falls Trail and its cascading 70-foot falls. Make the steep climb back to Skyline Drive, cross, then return to the lodge on .9-mile Story of the Forest.
Eat/Drink II: Enjoy craft brews, wines, ciders and cocktails on the main lodge’s first floor New Market Taproom. Head upstairs and grab a table on Spottswood Dining Room’s outdoor stone patio. Soak up amazing views while indulging old-school, southern-style eats like a grilled pork chop and mashed sweet potato slathered in Dr Pepper demi-glace. goshenandoah.com/lodging/big-meadows-lodge
Stay III: The marvelously overhauled Old Mill Inn in Damascus dates to the early 19th century and sits less than a mile from the AT on Laurel Creek. Its dozen hotel-style rooms bring a mix of modern amenities like walk-in glass showers and historic touches like Victorian armoires or ornately carved wooden fireplace surrounds. Wraparound porches and balconies offer wooded views of the creek and 200-foot-wide dam. damascusinn.com
Hike III: Link the Virginia Creeper Trail, AT and Iron Mountain Trail for a 5.9-mile loop to and from the inn. Follow the Virginia Creeper Trail east from the Damascus Town Park along Laurel Creek to the AT crossing at U.S. 58. Climb through majestic rhododendron thickets in Mount Rogers National Recreation Area for about 2.5 miles, pausing at the Cuckoo vista for 3,100-foot views of Fork Mountain and Whitetop. Turn left onto Iron Mountain Trail for a scenic descent to downtown through the Jefferson National Forest.
Eat/Drink III: Damascus Brewery offers 12 microbrews on tap — and nine are constantly changing. The fun and funky taproom has live music on weekends and a full kitchen with delish pub fare like house-smoked barbeque nachos. thedamascusbrewery.com
Old Mill’s onsite restaurant and bourbon bar brings tasty southern classics like pan-seared rainbow trout with seasonal veggies in a setting that feels like an Old World tavern.
Tennessee
Stay: The fabulous, four-room Iron Mountain Inn in Butler awaits just two miles from the AT. The cozy log lodge is nestled into a 2,600-foot forested hilltop and boasts wraparound decks with stunning views of the surrounding mountains and 6,425-acre Lake Watauga Reservoir. Suite-sized rooms feature sitting areas, lux beds, whirlpool tubs and private balconies. ironmountaininn.com
Hike: From the inn to ridgeline vistas on the AT and back, about 6.5 miles.Climb a private 1.4-mile trail through rhododendron forests along Robinson Branch to Turkeypen Gap and the 4,000-ish-foot Iron Mountain ridge. Pursue the AT south for about 2 miles, catching mindboggling eastward vistas of Lake Watauga and Big Laurel Branch Wilderness. Continue for another mile then turn around at a second designated overlook.
Eat/Drink: Sample 10 sweet wines at Villa Nove Farm & Vineyard while savoring views of Watauga Lake from a complex of hilltop decks and terraces. waterfrontgroupwatauga.com/villa-nove-vineyard
La Cucina Italian Kitchen occupies an intimate, 24-seat home-turned-restaurant in nearby Doe Valley. Expect authentic, 100% made-from-scratch Italian staples like mushroom carbonara or shrimp puttanesca. instagram.com/lacucinaitaliankitchen
North Carolina
Stay: Fontana Village Resort is home to a historic 91-room lodge and 124 cabins — complete with an old-school state park vibe. Better still, it sits just 1.5 miles from both the AT and Fontana Lake. Deluxe log cabins are equipped with amenities like working stone fireplaces, hardwood floors, leather furniture, granite-countered kitchenettes and elegant modern baths. fontanavillage.com
Hike: Out-and-back from Fontana Dam Marina to Creek Mountain, about eight miles. Shuttle to the marina and cross state route 28 on the AT. Climb south through the Nantahala National Forest for about a mile to 3,000-foot Bee Cove Lead ridge, looking back for partial northward views of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and 10,230-acre Fontana Lake. Continue to Walker Gap, then pursue Higlon Ridge to a pair of incredible, 3,600-plus-foot northward vistas of the lake and Smokies from High Top Mountain.
Eat/Drink: At Hazel’s Restaurant in the main lodge, where window-lined tables open onto views of peaks in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Have a craft brew or cocktail in the chic bar area then settle in for New American delights like a New-Orleans-style blackened quarter-chicken with andouille sausage, penne pasta and bourbon cream sauce.
Georgia
Stay: Around the Bend Lodge, based in Hiawassee, offers hostel services and four full-home rentals. The one-room, wood-paneled cabin steals the show with vaulted ceilings, a glass-windowed woodstove, stylish kitchenette and private deck with dumbfounding views of undeveloped peaks in the Chattahoochee National Forest. placestostayinnorthgeorgia.com
Hike: From the lodge to Powell Mountain and back, about 6.5 miles. Follow U.S. 76 south for .6 miles to Dicks Creek Gap and turn right on the AT. Make the steep climb through the Chattahoochee National Forest to the lovely Dicks Creek crossing and magical rhododendron canopies around 3,000-foot Moreland Gap. Continue to Powell Mountain and take the blue-blazed side trail to a 3,816-foot rock outcropping with jaw-dropping eastward views of Lake Burton, Black Rock Mountain and Rabun Bald.
Eat/Drink: Post up on Hiawassee Brew’s covered rooftop deck for craft beers overlooking Chatuge Lake. Pick from 20 options on tap and wines from local vineyards. hiawasseebrew24.com
Proceed to The Oaks Lakeside Kitchen for elevated farm-to-table eats in an immaculately renovated midcentury-modern-style stone vernacular building with waterfront views. Expect upscale southern cooking like a bone-in porkchop served over white cheddar and mascarpone grits drenched in apple currant gastrique. theoakslakesidekitchen.com
The story above first appeared in our May / June 2025 issue.
