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Highlands North Carolina Map

Explore Highlands, North Carolina, with this interactive street and satellite map.

This page also offers TOPO MAPS — the official USGS topographic sheets — plus USGS aerial imagery, a labelled USNG grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below.

Interactive Map of Highlands, North Carolina

How to Use This Highlands, North Carolina Map

This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for Highlands, North Carolina. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture. Drag the map to pan to any area of North Carolina or beyond.

Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).

TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the official USGS topographic maps from The National Map — contours, hydrography, land cover and shaded relief, the same mapping used for hiking, hunting and back-country navigation in the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Finger Lakes. Imagery shows USGS aerial photography, mostly 1-metre NAIP. The search box finds any US town, county or landmark by name, so you are not limited to Highlands.

Reading the map like a paper quad. Click Grid to overlay the U.S. National Grid (USNG), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.

Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as a USNG grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — USNG being the format FEMA and US search and rescue teams work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need cell coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load.

City	Highlands
State	North Carolina (NC)
County	Macon County
Country	United States of America
Timezone	Eastern Time (America/New_York)

Latitude	35.052591
Longitude	-83.196817
Population	1,072
Density	67.6 /km²
Incorporated	Yes
ZIP Code	28741
Area Code	828
County Seat	Franklin
School District	Macon County Schools

🌦 Goto Highlands Weather Page: Highlands, North Carolina — Weather Warnings, Forecast, Radar, Satellite & Current Conditions

About Highlands, North Carolina

Highlands is a locality in Macon County, North Carolina, United States. It has a population of approximately 1,072. The population density is 67.6 people per km². Highlands is located at 35.0526°N, 83.1968°W. It observes the Eastern Time (America/New_York) timezone. Highlands is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 28741.

Highlands occupies a high-altitude plateau where Mill Creek carves a brisk, clear path through the dense temperate rainforest, defining the rugged character of the surrounding terrain. It lies 30.0 miles south of Cherokee Indian Reservation, NC (from Cherokee Indian Reservation, NC: bearing 176°T), and is situated 18.1 miles south of Cullowhee. The air here remains thin and cool, often caught in the gentle embrace of mists that cling to the slopes, while the distant, hazy blue silhouettes of the Great Smoky Mountains provide a grand backdrop to the horizon. Visitors frequently wander toward the nearby Club Lake to witness the stillness of the water reflecting the towering hardwoods, or they descend into the deep, verdant basin of Horse Cove to observe the unique flora that thrives in the moisture-rich soil. Within the boundaries of the Town of Highlands - Highlands Recreation Park, the landscape feels preserved, offering a quiet sanctuary where the scent of damp earth and pine needles dominates the atmosphere.

Highlands emerged from the ambitions of early surveyors who envisioned a thriving crossroads, and today, that legacy persists through a local economy centered on refined hospitality and the appreciation of the natural wilderness. The rhythm of daily life moves with a deliberate, measured pace, influenced by the seasonal influx of those seeking refuge from the heat of the lower plains. Beyond the commercial center, the Whiteside Mountain National Recreation Trail invites the determined traveler to scale the steep granitic faces that have defined the local topography for generations. Whether one is browsing the local shops or observing the way the late afternoon light goldens the canopy, Highlands retains a distinct, solitary composure that feels entirely removed from the clamor of the modern world.

Nearby Outdoor Places

Town of Highlands - Highlands Recreation Park (Local Recreation) — 0.1 mi, 345° N
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust Preserve (Conservation Area) — 0.3 mi, 172° S
Nantahala National Forest (National Forest) — 0.8 mi, 126° SE · 533k acres
Overflow Wilderness Study Area (Wilderness Study Area) — 2.5 mi, 241° SW · 3,379 acres
Dry Falls Viewing Platform (Viewpoint) — 2.6 mi, 296° NW
Blue Valley Experimental Forest (Recreation Easement) — 3.0 mi, 222° SW
Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy - Big Creek Preserve (Conservation Area) — 3.5 mi, 152° SE
Chattahoochee National Forest (National Forest) — 3.8 mi, 168° S · 752k acres
Chattooga, North Carolina, South Carolina And Georgia Wild and Scenic River (Wild & Scenic River) — 3.8 mi, 122° SE · 17k acres
Ellicott Rock Wilderness (Wilderness Area) — 4.0 mi, 131° SE · 8,300 acres
Warwoman Wildlife Management Area (State Conservation Area) — 6.6 mi, 210° SW
Silver Run Falls (Attraction) — 7.5 mi, 083° E
Air Force B25C Plane Crash Memorial (Monument) — 9.0 mi, 132° SE
Chattooga Town (Historic Ruins) — 10.0 mi, 172° S
Horsepasture, North Carolina Wild and Scenic River (Wild & Scenic River) — 12.5 mi, 078° E · 1,400 acres
General Pickens Monument (Monument) — 14.2 mi, 147° SE
Southern Nantahala Wilderness (Wilderness Area) — 14.6 mi, 258° W · 24k acres
Bear Lake Reserve (Attraction) — 14.8 mi, 033° NE
The Foxfire Museum (Museum) — 14.9 mi, 229° SW
Rabun County Confederate Monument (Monument) — 16.7 mi, 224° SW
Performance Hall (Theatre) — 17.6 mi, 002° N
Fine Art Museum (Museum) — 17.6 mi, 002° N
American Eclipse (Public Artwork) — 17.9 mi, 003° N
Wasilik Poplar (Attraction) — 18.3 mi, 279° W
Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Arts Centre) — 18.6 mi, 320° NW
Too-Cowee;ᎧᏫᏱ (Historic Ruins) — 19.4 mi, 319° NW
The AdventureDome @ PARI (Museum) — 20.9 mi, 061° NE
Meteorite Gallery @ PARI (Museum) — 21.0 mi, 061° NE
Mineral Gallery @ PARI (Museum) — 21.0 mi, 061° NE
Oconee County Cage (Attraction) — 21.2 mi, 160° S

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