A person can only run the same neighborhood loop so many times before it’s more like a chore and less like a challenge. If you’re training for an event– or just working on your fitness–hit the ground running on these local trails.

French Broad greenway | 📍 Click here for access areas | 2 miles | This paved trail connects Carrier Park with Hominy Park, so you can expand the length by adding in a loop around West Asheville or catching the French Broad River Greenway in the River Arts District.

Difficulty level: 👟

UNC Asheville Trails for Everyone | 📍Click here for access areas | Various lengths | UNC Asheville gives public access to two wooded trail systems, the Chestnut Ridge Trail and the South Campus Trails. Plus, a 2.1 mile trail that is both wooded + urban follows the length of campus.

Difficulty level: 👟👟

Black Balsam |📍Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 420.2 | up to 5 miles | Say hello to some of the most gorgeous mountain balds in Southern Appalachia. Black Balsam Knob is the 23rd highest of the 40 mountains in North Carolina over 6,000 ft (it’s at an elevation of 6,214 ft.). But, don’t let that intimidate you. It’s great for an easy hike or run since you’ll be on the balds rather than going up multiple steep inclines.

DuPont State Forest |📍89 Buck Forest Rd, Cedar Mountain, NC 28718 | 3.5 miles (round-trip)| DuPont is 10,000-acre outdoor playground near Brevard full of trails, picnic areas + you guessed it – waterfalls. This round-trip hike is a little under 4 miles, and depending on how you map your day out you can venture to High Falls, Triple Falls + Hooker Falls. DYK: Scenes from The Hunger Games and The Last of the Mohicans were filmed here.

*This content was created in partnership with Set Up Events.