The 3 Most Over-Rated Things About North Carolina

Great Smoky Mountains National Park. That’s right. Never mind
that Acadia, Yellowstone and Yosemite also claim to be the most visited
National Park. I found the permitting system irritating, the contour profile
misleading and the scenery disappointing since most of the time you’re
walking on what mountains there are to look at.

Hot Springs. It’s not really the town’s fault that hikers have been in
the woods too long by the time they come stumbling in with visions of pizza
and being pampered. The services that cater specifically to hikers are pretty
good. The rest can be anything from inconsistent (why does a library need
to close on Wednesday?) to downright disappointing (lot of empty shelves
in that grocery store).

Mountains Named Bald. Talk about getting my hopes up. There are
whole sections and ranges named Bald. Instead we get the “Rogaine
Balds”, viewless wooded humps that test the hiker’s patience as much
as their strength.