The Boogerman Trail In North Carolina Has Magical Footbridges

Spend any time hiking in the Tar Heel State and you’re sure to fall in love with our wild side. With trails that wind through mountains and valleys and past raging rivers or along the beautiful coast, there is a wide array of wonderlands to explore. Check out this little-known trail near Maggie Valley where you’ll cross scores of magical streams and footbridges in North Carolina.

With a total elevation change of more than 1,100 feet and a total distance of 7.3 miles, the Boogerman Trail near Maggie Valley is anything but easy.

AllTrails/Colleen Turner

But those who hike (or run) this trail regularly are testament to its’ spellbinding allure.

AllTrails/Adam Malis

Located within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Boogerman Trail winds through some beautiful terrain crossing several streams — and even crossing several of them many times.

AllTrails/Brett Dupree

It’s a great signature of the National Park Service to make hiking trails in this park as enchanting as possible so the water crossings on this hike are simply spellbinding. Each and every one is different and creates incredible opportunities for stopping to “smell the roses” along the path.

AllTrails/Jack McCallie

From the Palmer Fork stream to the Sag Branch stream, then up to the top of Snake Ridge and then back down to cross the Snake Branch stream, you can attempt to count the number of water crossings on this hike. It’s somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 crossings.

AllTrails/Cassandra Jones

But Boogerman also has other sights to enjoy. In particular, there are a number of enormous trees on this trail through the Great Smoky Mountains. And the canopy in the warm seasons is unusually green.

AllTrails/Doug Jones

Make no mistake when you embark upon Boogerman Trail, though. All Trails ranks this hike as “hard,” and rightfully so. Be sure you’re experienced enough to take this one.

AllTrails/Angela Arber

Here’s a map of the trek. You can download it from All Trails.

AllTrails

Know of another hike with several footbridges in North Carolina? Tell us about it here.