Brushy Face Preserve
Nature preserve
65 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Harrison Keely · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Highlands
Highlands has 190 acres of parks, 177 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Brushy Face Preserve (0.6 mi). 8% of Highlands’ land is conserved, about 325 acres. 83% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
325 acres · of 6.2 sq mi of land
Trails
2.1 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
190 ac
177 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
83%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
4,285 ft
Bearpen Mountain
Lakes & rivers
6
What kind of outdoors town is Highlands?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Highlands have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Highlands is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Highlands’ overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical NC town 3% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · NC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land177 acres of park per 1,000 residents (190 acres) · NC 8 · U.S. 13AParks close to home83% of residents within a half mile of a park · NC 51% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 82%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Brushy Face Preserve, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Nantahala National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
62 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Dixon Park
Park
17 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 11 parks & preserves
Brushy Face Preserve65 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Ravenel Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Kelsey-Hutchinson Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNantahala National Forest62 acres · United States Forest Service
DirectionsHighlands Recreation Park26 acres
DirectionsDixon Park17 acres
Rhododendron Park15 acres
Whiteside Mountain14 acres
Kelsey Trail Preserve13 acres
Satulah Mountain Preserves10 acres
Ralph and Louise Sargent Preserve6 acres
Who protects it
325 conserved acres
8% of Highlands’ land. Who manages Highlands’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits135 ac
U.S. Forest Service41 ac
State natural resources7 ac
Not recorded190 ac
Private Conservation · 141 acConservation Easement · 74 acUnknown Easement · 67 acNational Forest · 41 acLocal Recreation Area · 30 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 103 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 9 of 14 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 141 | Unknown |
| Nantahala National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 41 | Open |
| Town of Highlands - Highlands Recreation Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 30 | Unknown |
| Satulah Mountain Summit Registered Heritage Area State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 10 | Restricted |
| Town of Highlands Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 9 | Unknown |
Things to do
13 places to go in Highlands
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Highlands
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Highlands
Highlands Dog ParkIn Highlands Recreation Park
DirectionsWaterfalls in Highlands
Naiad Falls
DirectionsPinkerton Pool Falls
DirectionsSequoah FallsIn Nantahala National Forest
DirectionsScenic views in Highlands
Sunset Rock
DirectionsPeaks in Highlands
Bearpen Mountain4,285 ft elevation
DirectionsBrushy Face4,242 ft elevation
DirectionsLittle Yellow Mountain4,203 ft elevation
DirectionsLittle Bearpen Mountain4,098 ft elevation
DirectionsSassafras Knob4,035 ft elevation
DirectionsHolt Knob3,976 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
6 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
6Pickleball
3Tennis
1Soccer
1Skate park
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →12 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Highlands InnBuilding · listed 1990
About itEdwards HotelBuilding · listed 1992
About itSatulah Mountain Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1995
About itChurch of the IncarnationBuilding · listed 1996
About itFirst Presbyterian ChurchBuilding · listed 1996
About itPlaymore-Bowery Road Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2002
About itCabin BenBuilding · listed 2003
About itBaldwin-Coker CottageBuilding · listed 2003
About itThomas Grant Harbison HouseBuilding · listed 2008
About itHighlands North Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2011
About itElizabeth Wright Prince HouseBuilding · listed 2017
About itSkyline LodgeBuilding · listed 2022
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Highlands: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.0 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 43 | 46 | 53 | 62 | 69 | 74 | 76 | 75 | 70 | 62 | 53 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 7.7 | 6.7 | 7.1 | 6.6 | 6.1 | 6.6 | 6.5 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 7.9 |
May is the driest month (6.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 76 °F). 7.9 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Highlands →
Questions about parks and trails in Highlands
Where can I hike in Highlands?
The longest trail networks: Brushy Face Preserve, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Highlands is conserved land?
8% of its land, against a typical 3% for a North Carolina town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Highlands’ trails?
Brushy Face Preserve and Nantahala National Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Highlands?
104,475 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Highlands or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 219 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Highlands have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Highlands neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →