Moore Cove Trail and Falls is definitely a favorite to bring people when they visit. It’s a short hike, about 3/4 mile out, and nothing too crazy for incline. When you arrive, it’s a beautiful waterfall cascading over a cove, so you can walk behind it and explore. You can even climb up to the top and peer over!

Moore Cove is heavily trafficked. It’s just past Looking Glass Falls in Pisgah and because the hike is so accessible, it’s really people-dog-kid friendly. When you’re thinking about social distancing in nature, this probably isn’t the hike you want to go on; however, we picked a time of year that really lent itself to less people exploring and we did have the falls to ourselves for a little bit!

Clara loves exploring here. The cove is really fun for her and she thinks it’s great that she can “touch the ceiling.” Landon, Chad and I had a blast bouldering and playing on the cove walls, even when I got stuck and Chad had to help me down.

Even though we went during a great time of the year, there were way too many times I drove by this summer and early fall to see an absolutely packed “parking lot.” Cars lined up and down Pisgah highway leading to the trailhead, it got really messy more than once. This trail lends itself much more to the casual hiker and not to the trail runner. Far too many people to dodge, and the distance isn’t anything spectacular. Hiking with kids who hate hiking? This would be a great one for you! Bring a pair of gloves and a small bag, and do your part on the overtrafficked trails and pick up the litter people leave behind. COVID has brought out a ton of new people to our precious parks and trails; however, most of them haven’t learned a darn thing about LNT.