The top requested amenity is hiking/walking trails.

Here are a few trails 
outside of planned communities that might interest you.

 

Cumberland Trail — Tennessee

The Cumberland Trail is a back-country pathway for hikers that covers 11 counties in East Tennessee, rolling along the ridges and through the gorges of the Cumberland Plateau. Currently, there are about 210 open miles on the trail, divided into 28 sections with more than 50 trailhead access points. Each part is rated for difficulty and highlights wildlife, waterfalls, and sweeping pinnacle views. When completed, the Cumberland Trail will extend more than 300 miles and connect national parks on the Kentucky border in the north and at the southern terminus on Signal Mountain near Chattanooga. While managed by the state, much of the construction and maintenance on the trail is done by a corps of volunteers from towns and residential communities along the route.

Mountains-to-Sea Trail — North Carolina

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail traverses the entire state of North Carolina from the Great Smokies to the Outer Banks, eventually covering nearly 1,200 miles. About 720 miles of the dedicated footpath have been completed, with some temporary backroad-route connections. Along the trail are 10 state parks and nine national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges, with convenient campgrounds and inns on the way for multi-day hikers. The 18 trail segments range from 35 to 90 miles and are rated for difficulty from strenuous in the western mountains to easy on the flat coastal plain. Two optional blueway shortcuts for paddlers on the Yadkin and Neuse rivers are also part of the complete Mountains-to-Sea Trail experience.

The Appalachian Trail

The granddaddy of American hiking routes runs for 2,200 miles from Maine to Georgia, with hundreds of access points, making it possible to walk some of the most scenic portions in a single day.

Schuylkill River Trail — Pennsylania

A 75-mile pathway through farmlands and towns in the state’s southeastern countryside, with paved portions for bicyclists and a companion water trail for paddlers

Palmetto Trail — South Carolina

A cross-state hiking path with 380 miles of a planned 500 completed so far, linking historic sites, state parks, and nature preserves from upstate mountain peaks to the Intracoastal Waterway

Tallulah Gorge Trails — Georgia

A pair of companion rim trails that are just 2.5 miles long, but have some moderately challenging assents that are rewarded with sweeping vistas and waterfall views

Florida National Scenic Trail

A 1,500-mile route from the Panhandle’s Big Cypress Reserve to the Gulf Islands National Seashore, with convenient access points near towns and cities throughout central Florida

Desoto National Forest Trails — Mississippi

Located just south of Hattiesburg, with 60+ miles of shaded footpaths in the 380,000-acre site that includes the seven-mile Tuxachanie Trail, plus additional designated ways for bicyclists and horseback riders

Uncompahgre River Trail – Colorado

A 14-mile out-and-back path for walking and biking that starts near downtown Montrose and weaves along the riverfront with mountain, mesa, and canyon views

Oracle State Park Trail — Arizona

A six-mile loop trail through scenic high-desert foothills in a wildlife conservation park near Tucson, one of the most accessible segments of the 800-mile Arizona Trail

El Cerro Se Los Lunas Trails — New Mexico

Near the town of Los Lunas, a popular 5.7-mile loop trail that’s only moderately challenging, with sweeping high-desert views in a 1,500-acre nature preserve

Reposted from an article in Ideal-LIVING Magazine, 2023 Summer Issue – Best Places to Live