Outdoors - Burke County Tourism

Apple Hill Orchard

Nestled in South Mountains of Western North Carolina, Apple Hill Orchard is conveniently located only 4 miles from I -40, just south of Morganton, NC.

2075 Pleasant Hill Ave, Morganton, NC, 28655

Outdoor Attractions Regional Attraction Specialty Retailers

Apple Picking at Apple Hill Orchard

Nestled in the South Mountains of Western North Carolina, Apple Hill Orchard is conveniently located just south of Morganton, NC. Our family has been growing apples in this location since 1955, and the orchard its self dates to 1930! While the orchard has dramatically changed since then, one thing remains the same: we love welcoming visitors each fall and seeing customers return year after year to join the harvest.

2075 Pleasant Hill Ave., Morganton, NC, 28655

Outdoor Attractions

Beanstalk Zip Lines

North Carolina's best family zipline experience! More than just a zipline experience, this is a full aerial experience. Have little ones? This course is perfect. While they can zip-line solo, our Beanstalk Builder engineered course enables tandem zipping !

701 Sanford Dr, Morganton, NC, 28655

Cycling Winter Sports

Beech Mountain Ski Slope - Mountain Bike Park & Disc Golf

Ski Beech has 15 slopes and 10 lifts with terrain for the beginner to the seasoned expert. Outdoor ice skating rink. Located high in the mountains of western North Carolina at 5506 ft. Mountain biking in the summer months. Live music at 5,506 bar!

1007 Beech Mountain Parkway, Beech Mountain, NC, 28604

Boating Outdoor Attractions

Benfield’s Landing Boat Rentals & Marina

Located on Lake James, Benfield's Landing has everything you need for a day on the lake! Including pontoon boat rentals

5741 Benfields Landing Rd, Nebo, NC, 28761

Health & Wellness Rock Climbing

Bigfoot Climbing Gym

Bigfoot Climbing Gym opened its doors in 2020 as the premier climbing gym in Morganton. With multiple routes in each difficulty range, it is sure to keep you and your friends and family engaged the whole time you are there! They have shoe and chalk rentals so just bring yourself and your sense of adventure.

212 Avery Ave, Morganton, North Carolina, 28655

Hiking Outdoor Attractions

Brown Mountain Lights

Described as a glowing ball of fire or a bursting skyrocket and sometimes as a pale almost white light. At times they seem to drift slowly, fading and brightening and at other times they seem to whirl like pinwheels, then dart rapidly away. Visible on clear nights from vantage points along N.C. 181 and from Wisemans View in the Lineville Gorge Wilderness area. From Morganton, travel 14 miles north on Highway 181 and the Brown Mountain Overlook will be located on the right hand side of the road.

Hwy 181, Morganton, NC, 28655

Outdoor Attractions

Brown Mountain Off- Highway Vehicle Trail

The Brown Mountain OHV area offers 34 miles of trails. This is the only OHV area on the Grandfather District. These trails are mostly designed for trail bikes and ATVs. Jeeps and 4WD vehicles may only use Trail 8 and part of Trail 1.

Morganton, NC

Camping Specialty Retailers Winter Sports

CBS Sports

CBS Sports of Morganton, NC is the area’s largest independent retailer of fine sports apparel, athletic shoes, outdoor gear, kayaks and canoes. They also have a full Ski and Snowboard Rental Shop. Don’t stand in line at the resorts, save time and money with CBS!

911 N Green St, Morganton, NC, 28655

Canoeing & Kayaking Cycling Disc Golf

Catawba Meadows Park

5 lighted Little League baseball fields. 4 lighted youth and adult softball/baseball fields. Field house with concessions and eating area. Team meeting room. Umpires and coaches meeting room. Handicapped accessible restrooms. Disc golf course (18 holes)

220 Catawba Meadows Dr., Morganton, NC, 28655

Canoeing & Kayaking Cycling Disc Golf Gold Panning Outdoor Attractions Parks & Forests

Catawba River Greenway

Catawba River Greenway Park features 3.8 miles of paved walking trail following the river through wooded and open areas. Along the trail are picnic shelters and open tables, accessible restrooms, a playground, fishing piers, canoe launches, a gazebo, multi-level observation decks, and pedestrian bridges which cross the river and its tributaries.

128 Greenlee Ford Road, Morganton, NC, 28655

Hiking Parks & Forests

Chestnut Knob Trail

Located in South Mountains State Park, Chestnut Knob Trail leads you to the Jacob Fork River Gorge Overlook.

Connelly Springs, NC