Wow! Total gem of a place!! We took our 2 year old and he LOVED it! We did the Talking Tree Trail - super cute! There are buttons you press to tell you about the marked tree on the path (see photo). Very fun! The trail was easy to walk (well marked, well maintained, clear step ups for inclines) and they really thought about the kids that would be walking - they estimated 30 minutes and it was 30 minutes at our toddlers pace. Loved how kiddo freely that was. Good clean bathrooms, lots of picnic tables, and it rained all day beforehand and yet it was not muddy or wet - so happy we stopped!!

Older and dated educational Forest. Great place to take young kids. Short well paved trails. Talking forest has recordings for young kids about nature.

Enjoyed a somewhat hidden gem of a forest/park, with something for everyone .. easy hikes, strenuous mountain trails, great views, talking trees and -- my favorite: a firetower, along with a recording of old Firetower Lookouts talking about fires! Very cool .. and my trailhound Rigby enjoyed it all ..

Holmes is always a great place for the kids, lots of creek stuff for the kids. Wildflowers galore. Oh and the talking trees.

I had yesterday off and Tim and I visited Holmes Educational State Forest - a place we have wanted to check out for a while. Definitely a place we will take our grandsons! My pictures are of the Talking Tree Trail, the many brooks throughout this fun place and a beaver dam built on Crab Creek. One trail featured forest fire fighting equipment and another is the Soil and Water Trail which is near and dear to our family since Tims dad worked for the Soil and Water Conservation Service.

Nice trails and shelter, but the fact that its closed whenever I want to go running is highly frustrating.

Amazing educational experience, what a hidden gem 💎, this educational forest 🌳 have some great attractions that I never seen before, I felt like I was transported to a different era in history, really informative and the exhibitions were great the trails were maintained.

Amazing beautiful trails. Did the easy & strenuous one. The strenuous one is exactly that. Very narrow in certain areas too. Saw blood root flowers. They close at 5:00.

Wildflowers galore! I felt like I was walking in a fairy forest. I went shortly after a rain shower and the plants were glistening. There are small water falls to see too. Another new discovery for me. There is one longer hike a several shorter trails to walk. Lots of interpretive signs too. The Talking Tree trail has these educational stops where you can listen to a talking tree to learn fun facts about the forest. Dogs on leach are welcome. I imagine lots of schools come here for field trips. Ill be returning for sure!

Holmes Forest is unique in that the trails are relatively easy for children and accessible. There is much to inspire the imagination and engage them, from exhibits including a Huey helicopter and a real fire tower to audio kiosks along the path that explain how to identify trees. The Talking Tree and Crab Creek trails are lovely and will take at most 2 hours if hiked at a very leisurely pace.

Great place for a family hike.

I love this place so much.

Beautiful park, good hikes of different lengths. Talking trees hike is a great way to learn about the forest and variety of trees. Usually not as busy as Dupont picnic tables are available for lunch.

Trails are well maintained and offer a good workout. We did a 5 mile strenuous hike.

A quiet park nestled at the foot of a mountain, Holmes is a wonderful place to experience the outdoors and hike. There are numerous exhibits and informational signs scattered throughout the park (hence the name Educational) that really make this park a unique place to check out. They have a decent range of trails, from leisurely (and flat) trails that never stray too far from the parking lot, to the Forest Demonstration trail: a long and winding path that climbs and winds around the park. It is also a great place to have a family/small church group picnic. Small point of interest: there are numerous Eagle Scout projects throughout the park as well (one of them is mine) that are fun to find.

Great hike up and down the mountain. Unfortunately Wildcat Trail is closed due to very large trees in the path. Talking trees are good for kids.

A vastly under utilized resource of Transylvania and Henderson County. One of the premier places to see wildflowers in Western NC. Lots of trails, exhibits, and picnic areas. A shelter thats available for free and a youth campsite that is also free to use. Skip the crowds at DuPont and Pisgah and experience nature as it should be, with no lines and no admission fees.

Wonderful, beautiful, magical and educational. my kids loved even in a cold day like today about 36 degrees.

Great educational state forest with well maintained facilities and trails. Has several displays including a for tower, bulldozer and fire plow, helicopter, and it is also home of the talking tree trail.

Gorgeous day hikes and lots of educational information. The Rangers truly made this an exceptional point of interest.

Beautiful trails, and information posts that tell you about the trees in the area. I will be returning soon.

What a beautiful place to spend the day! Lots of areas for picnics, and wonderful trails to hike!

Great place to spend the day and learn about nature.

Been coming here for almost 10 years to camp and hike with our scouts. We actually drive over 3 hours just to come to Holmes.

Beautiful views and great trails.

Great place to hike.

Has talking trees