The Honeysuckle Trail is the hidden seam that holds two of Hot Springs Mountain's best walks together. Half a mile of well-maintained forested path threads through a mixed hardwood canopy — oak, hickory, and the namesake honeysuckle weaving along the understory — as it climbs a steady but comfortable grade from the Peak Trail junction up to Hot Springs Mountain Trail. The footing is firm and groomed enough to accommodate wheelchairs and strollers, which says something about how approachable this stretch is. It won't stop your heart, but the sustained pitch will wake up your calves. The payoff is less about a singular viewpoint and more about the connective tissue it provides: this trail is how you build a proper loop on Hot Springs Mountain instead of doubling back on the same path. It's ideal for families, dog walkers, and anyone who believes a hike should feel like a complete circuit, not a dead end.
Use Honeysuckle as the closing link of a loop: start on Peak Trail, pick up Honeysuckle mid-mountain, and finish on Hot Springs Mountain Trail back down to the Grand Promenade — the full circuit runs well under two hours and shows you far more of the mountain than any single trail does.
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In summer, the dense canopy makes this one of the shadiest connectors on the mountain, so it earns its place on hot afternoons when exposed sections of Hot Springs Mountain Trail feel punishing — plan your route so you hit Honeysuckle during the midday stretch.
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The transition point where Honeysuckle meets Hot Springs Mountain Trail opens briefly before the tree line closes back in — pause here and look south toward the valley for a narrow framed view of Bathhouse Row's rooftops through the trees, easy to miss if you're moving fast.
NPS Photo/Mitch Smith
