Outdoors PISGAH
NATIONAL FOREST
LOOKING GLASS ROCK
More than 2 million visitors each year come to the Pisgah Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest and that number grows annually. With more than 170,000 acres, the district is known nationally for its outstanding recreation opportunities and spectacular diversity of plant and animal life.
Of the 170,000 acres that make up the Pisgah Ranger District, 88,300 of them are in Transylvania County. The district has about 400 miles of trails, 180 miles of which are open to mountain biking and 100 miles of trails for horseback riding.
From the Pisgah Forest business community, U. S. 276 winds its way through the district’ s heart, going deeper into the forest and stretching roughly 15 miles to connect with the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Part of the Forest Heritage Scenic Byway, this route has been named a National Scenic Byway, the highest designation a road can receive in the United States.
The Pisgah Ranger Station and Visitor Center has forest information, exhibits, educational films and a gift shop. A Monarch Waystation is also located in the center’ s gardens. Monarch
8 TRANSYLVANIA EXPLORER 2026
Waystations provide milkweed, nectar sources and shelter needed to sustain monarch butterflies as they migrate across North America. There is also a very active hummingbird population every summer at the visitor center.
The forest came into being after the Vanderbilt family sold a tract of land from the original Biltmore Estate to the United States government in 1914.
The district is also the home of the first school of forestry in the United States, now preserved at the Cradle of Forestry in America heritage site. More than 6,500 acres were designated by Congress to showcase forestry and resources management.
The Pink Beds Picnic Area and Loop Trail feature an elevated boardwalk and excellent day-hiking opportunities. At the main entrance off U. S. 276, visitors can experience the Discovery Center( exhibits, book store, movie theater, café) and more than 3 miles of paved accessible trails for families with strollers and wheelchairs to explore the forest up close.
An app has been developed that is designed to entertain and educate visitors as they walk through the forest.
VISITOR INFORMATION – Camping –
Campers have four developed campgrounds to choose from in the district, including the Davidson River Campground( tentatively reopening for the 2026 season following muchneeded renovations on June 30), and is usually open year-round. Developed picnic sites include Sycamore Flats and Coontree. Picnic shelters may be reserved at both Sycamore Flats and Pink Beds.
For more information, stop by the Pisgah Ranger Station and Visitor Center, located a mile from the forest entrance on U. S. 276, or call( 828) 877-3265. To make a reservation at developed campsites, or picnic shelter reservations, call( 877) 444- 6777 or go to recreation. gov.
– Pets –
Please clean up after your leashed pets while visiting your National Forests. County ordinances require you to have your animal on a leash at all times unless you are hunting on game lands during a hunting season or training for hunting season.