The first mile of the Jackson County Greenway was completed in 2016. It extends along the Tuckasegee River with a large footbridge crossing at Locust Creek to its intersection with Monteith Gap Road. The Friends of the Jackson County Greenways is excited to be part of the momentum to extend the greenway to reach the originally-proposed goal of 3.8 miles. Property acquisition and planning have continued to expand rights-of-way along this corridor.

A network of trails, sidewalks, and pedestrian-friendly roads connecting parks, commercial districts, and community buildings in Cashiers. More information and maps can be found here.

Walking trails are located on the campuses of several local schools. Cullowhee Valley, Smokey Mountain Elementary, Fairview, Blue Ridge, and Summit Charter Schools currently have short walking trails located on their campuses and open to the public.

A focus of the current Jackson County Recreation Master Plan has been the development of small parks and recreation areas within each community. Cullowhee Recreation Center, Mark Watson, Little Canada, East LaPorte, Dillsboro, Webster, Whittier, Qualla, and Savannah now have areas (or areas that are currently in development) for outdoor recreation. Some of the amenities at each park include: picnic tables, shelter, and ADA accessible parking and restrooms. Most of these pocket parks also include short walking trails. More information about these facilities can be found here.

The Tuckasegee River serves as a natural corridor through the center of Jackson County. Multiple well-maintained boat launches make access easy for fishing or paddling. River Access Parks are found in Webster, Dillsboro, East LaPorte, Locust Creek, Barkers Creek, and Shook Cove.

A Blue Trail is a dedicated stretch of river that enjoys special clean water safeguards and is a destination for fishing, boating, and other recreational activities. Just as hiking trails are designed to help people explore the land, Blue Trails allow people discover rivers.

More information about Blue Trails & the work being done by American Rivers can be found here.