For almost 10 years I lived in the Northwest corner of South Carolina and during this time with my family I went on several hikes in the mountains of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. After moving back to Louisiana, we would go on vacation to places with mountains such as Colorado, Tennessee, Virginia, as well as going back to North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. In 1999, I moved to Washington and found that the Cascade Mountains were similar to the area of South Carolina I had lived in. The mountains were close enough to you so that you could go hiking on the weekend without having to drive for hours on end. If you don't mind driving for several hours, you can also find enjoyable places to hike in Oregon along the Columbia River Gorge.