Waterfalls and Hiking Trails: What's your family doing this weekend?

Serious outdoors lovers take note: The Fires Creek area in Hayesville North Carolina and tucked away in the extreme southwest corner of North Carolina amid some of the most remote and pristine scenery in the eastern United States-offers varied opportunities for superb interaction with the natural world.

Its more than 21,000 acres, which shelter abundant flora and fauna, are ideal for hiking, backpacking, camping, horseback riding, hunting, and fishing.

Leatherwood Falls is about 25 feet high and makes a pleasant picnic spot. In addition to the usual southern Appalachian hardwoods, six kinds of pine, hemlock, mountain laurel and rhododendron, ferns, and a dazzling array of wildflower species thrive here.

The Rim Trail, a roughly 26-mile loop, surrounds the Fires Creek basin, intersecting with other shorter trails along the way. Although many more equestrians than hikers use the trail, backpackers could spend several pleasurable days exploring the loop.

Camping is prohibited in designated wildlife openings. And, as always along ridgeline trails, hikers are advised to carry plenty of water. There is a dependable spring near the intersection of the Shinbone Ridge and Rim trails, about 100 feet below the rim, and several other springs that may require a longer detour to reach.

This is just one of the many beautiful hiking spots and waterfall trails of Western North Carolina.

What is your family doing this weekend?