Asheville, along the Pisgah Ridge and Balsam Mountains. Three long-distance recreational trails - the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, the Shut-In Trail, and the Art Loeb Trail travel through this district. Also included in the Pisgah Ranger District are the Shining Rock and Middle Prong Wildernesses. The Blue Ridge Parkway transects this National Forest, and many National Forest and Parkway trails intersect. Recreation Pisgah National Forest is a popular place for many activities, such as hiking, backpacking, road biking, mountain biking, fishing, and rock climbing. Popular mountain biking trails include Sycamore Cove Trail, and Black Mountain Loop. Farlow Gap is an expert-level trail, and considered "one of the toughest mountain bike trails in Pisgah National Forest." Wilderness areas There are three officially designated wilderness areas lying within Pisgah National Forest that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Linville Gorge Wilderness Middle Prong Wilderness Shining Rock Wilderness Gallery See also DuPont State Forest (also popular in western North Carolina for hiking and mountain biking) Killing of Judy Smith References External links Pisgah National Forest Images from The Dawn of Private Forestry in America, Covering the Years 1895 to 1914, Forest History Society Library and Archives National Forests of North Carolina National Forests of the Appalachians Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Old-growth forests Protected areas of Transylvania County, North Carolina Protected areas of McDowell County, North Carolina Protected areas of Haywood County, North Carolina Protected areas of Madison County, North Carolina Protected areas of Caldwell County, North Carolina Protected areas of Burke County, North Carolina Protected areas of Yancey County, North Carolina Protected areas of Buncombe County, North Carolina Protected areas of Avery County, North Carolina Protected areas of Mitchell County, North Carolina Protected areas of Henderson County, North Carolina Protected areas of Watauga County, North Carolina Protected areas established in 1916 1916 establishments in North Carolina Western North Carolina Mountain biking in the United States