Activities & Events

Wilderness & Hiking

Montreat Wilderness

Montreat Conference Center is surrounded by approximately 2,500 acres of pristine wilderness that is permanently protected and will never be developed. The landmass of the Montreat community, as a whole, is approximately 4,000 acres, and is an important corridor for access to the wilderness beyond its borders. Conserving the Montreat wilderness is significant to the ecology of the entire region, including neighboring mountain preserves – the North Fork Watershed Natural Area, the Pisgah National Forest – and several thousand acres of private land surrounding Montreat’s wilderness border. Adjoining these large tracts of contiguous land are the Blue Ridge National Scenic Byway, Mt. Mitchell State Park, Middle Creek Research Natural Area, and the Black Mountain Natural Area. The Montreat Wilderness area makes a significant contribution to this larger “macro-preserve.”

Hiking/Nature Center

Trail maps are provided for hiking on your own, or you may choose to participate in public hikes led by the Montreat Trail Club or the summer Wilderness Ranger staff. Please see Rules & Regulations for important safety and conservation information.

In the summer, public hikes take place most Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays. Call 828-669-9540, stop by the Nature Center, or check out the latest issue of This Week in Montreat. For a list of Saturday hikes, see schedule in the latest issue of The Wanderer.

During non-summer months, please see the schedule of public hikes in the latest issue of The Wanderer.