16 minute read
The Parkway close to home
Spanning the southern and central Appalachians, the Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469-mile ribbon of color from early October through early November.
And, while traversing its entire expanse in search of America’s rich cultural heritage might require a month, enjoying the majesty of the Parkway’s color can be done with any number of day trips from Upstate South Carolina.
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The Parkway is divided into four districts, two of which — the Highlands Region (mileposts 217-340) and the Pisgah Region (mileposts 340469) — are in nearby North Carolina and have multiple entrances just a short drive away. In the two excursions below there are plenty of website links so you can explore all the music, crafts, agriculture, nature and Native American culture along this portion of America’s parkway.
PARKWAY BASICS
Before you start planning, here are a few things to keep in mind. • Mileposts are spaced a mile apart and help locate both access points and points of interest. The zero marker is in Virginia. Each mile is numbered progressively southward onto its endpoint in Cherokee, NC, at Milepost 469. • The maximum speed limit is 45 miles per hour. • Parking is limited to designated areas or road shoulders. All four wheels must be off the pavement. You don’t have to be at an overlook to stop and enjoy the scenery. • Be alert! It is best that drivers keep their eyes on the road.
Deer and other animals may dart out; hikers may cross the highway; bicyclists frequent the Parkway and move at a slower pace. Be aware of motorcycles at all times. Slower traffic will often occur when entering and exiting at overlooks and access points. Use extra vigilance when driving in fog and rain. Slow down and turn on your headlights.
Now, let’s get to planning …
NAVIGATION SUGGESTIONS
GPS isn’t reliable on the Parkway. Before leaving home, consider checking the closed, open or ungated status of Parkway sections available on the NPS website (www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/ alerts). That list is updated daily.
Additionally, all the resources you need for navigating your Parkway adventure — whether you’re planning in advance or on the road — can be obtained by downloading the free Blue Ridge Parkway Travel Planner App. The app works even without a cell signal. You’ll find helpful information on natural resources and culture, favorites you can save and customize, and maps and services arranged by region and community. The app also provides access to optional downloadable offline maps. To get the Travel Planner, go to: https://www. blueridgeparkway.org/parkway-maps/
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Milepost 316.3 is where you will find the Linville Falls Visitor Center, host to some 350,000 visitors annually. An easy 1.5-mile hike includes four overlooks to the falls. Photo by William A. Blake
UP NORTH HAS ITS UPS AND DOWNS
Separated by just a few miles, this Highlands region day trip will take you from the tallest peak in the Eastern United States to one of the deepest gorges this side of the Grand Canyon.
Start with an early breakfast and head for Asheville. You can get this Parkway experience started by taking US-25 and following the signs to the Parkway, which will lead you to Milepost 388.8, close to the Biltmore Estate. Or you can choose to start at Milepost 393.6 by taking I-26 to exit 33 and taking NC-191 to the Parkway. This is where you will find the North Carolina Arboretum (ncarboretum. org). Regardless of the starting point, remember, our goal today is Milepost 304, and there’s a lot to do and see in between.
At Milepost 384.7 the Parkway crosses US 74A. If you choose, a 25-mile trip east leads to Chimney Rock State Park and Lake Lure. It will be good color, but, honestly, you could go there another day on a lot faster route.
Staying on the Parkway, you will find that US-70 crosses the Parkway at Milepost 382.6. Just a short drive north is The Folk Art Center (southernhighlandguild.org/folkartcenter) where you can see and buy fine art and crafts from Southern Appalachian artists, browse galleries and see daily craft demonstrations. From here you can also visit The Parkway Information Center just in case you need another map or still don’t feel you know enough about where you’re going.
The Vance Birthplace Historic Site (romanticasheville.com/vance. htm) awaits at Milepost 376.6 where Ox Creek Road intersects and winds down into the valley. At the end of Ox Creek Road (4 miles), take a left on Reems Creek Road to the Weaverville area. Take another right on Reems Creek to visit the site.
Between Mileposts 376.6 and 364.1 you will find Craggy Gardens. The Parkway picnic area has ample parking, lots of picnic tables and easy access to several trails. Nearby Craggy Gardens Visitor Center offers milehigh mountain views to the east and west from 5,640 feet up. Read more at romanticasheville.com/Craggy.htm
The highest mountain peak in the eastern United States, at an elevation of 6,684 feet, is still ahead. Mt. Mitchell is in the 1,855-acre Mt. Mitchell State Park, which is only accessible from the Parkway by taking NC-128 at Milepost 355.4 to the summit. The breathtaking 85-mile views and climate at the peak make this a popular stop for many travelers. You can also pick up some food for a milehigh picnic. There is no admission fee. See a guide to Mount Mitchell State Park at: romanticasheville.com/mtmitchell.htm
From the lofty peaks of Mt. Mitchell, the Parkway continues north, passing the Green Knob Overlook (MP350.4), Crabtree Falls & Meadows (MP339.5) and Little Switzerland (MP3340). At Milepost 331 you can jump off on Highway 226 to visit the Museum of North Carolina Minerals, or simply continue to The Orchard at Altapass (MP328.3) or the Chestoa View from 4,090 feet at Milepost 320.8.
At Milepost 317.4 you will cross US-221. (This is also where you can catch a faster return trip home by turning south toward I-40.) However, the “depth” of this journey can only be realized by heading south just four miles to Linville Caverns. Linville Falls, its visitors’ center and Linville Gorge — the Grand Canyon of the Southern Appalachians — can be experienced via an easy 1.5-mile hike from Milepost 316.3. Linville Falls Visitor Center (fs.usda.gov/detail/nfsnc/specialplaces/) hosts 350,000 visitors annually. The trails include four overlooks to the waterfalls.
It may be time to head home, but if the spirit is willing, the Linn Cove Viaduct, a masterpiece of engineering constructed to preserve Grandfather Mountain, and the mountain itself are just up US-221 a few miles (MP305).
NO PLANES, BUT TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES
It takes 90 minutes to travel 65 miles to the southern terminus of the Parkway in Cherokee, NC … that is if you don’t stop for a train ride in between. Just take SC-130 and NC107 north to Dillsboro and catch US-74 and US-441 east to Cherokee. Jump on the Parkway and begin your trip north.
However, be forewarned that this day trip is wrought with truly remarkable fall color options that could result in putting off your Parkway experience for a few hours or to another day completely.
The highest point and some of the grandest views east of the Rocky Mountains are available at Mt. Mitchell, a short excursion from the Blue Ridge Parkway.
For openers, as you near Cashiers on your way to the Parkway, you might want to get off at Whitewater Falls, the highest waterfalls east of the Rocky Mountains. This could take you 2-3 hours, but if you’re up for it, turn right off SC-130 at the entrance to Duke Energy’s Bad Creek Hydroelectric Station. Pass through the automatic gate and drive two miles to the parking area for the Foothills Trail/Whitewater River. From here, it is a 1.9mile hike to the Upper Falls from the trailhead at the far end of the parking area. However, you will come to the Lower Falls first where an overlook is located at the bottom of 154 wooden steps. Upper Whitewater Falls drops over 411 feet, and Lower Whitewater Falls drops another 200 feet.
If you stay focused on the Parkway, however, more possible diversions await. For instance, if you turn west in Dillsboro (to Bryson City) instead of east (to Cherokee), you can get on the Great Smoky Mountain Railway at Bryson City and spend 4 to 4 1/2 hours enjoying glorious color from the comfort of a rail car. The Nantahala Gorge Excursion departs west over the Fontana Lake Trestle at 10:30 a.m. The Tuckasegee River Excursion departs east toward Dillsboro at 1 p.m. Both trips offer a variety of seating options, as well as a dining opportunity. Visit gsmr.com for more information or to reserve a trip.
Asheville offers multiple entrances to the Blue Ridge Parkway, two of which are quickly drivable from Upstate South Carolina. Photo courtesy of romanticasheville
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Before jumping on the Blue Ridge Parkway, travelers may want to consider seeing the Unto These Hills production offered in Cherokee, NC, where the terminus of the Parkway can also provide a starting point for a daytrip north through the highway’s southernmost region.
EARLY OCTOBER THROUGH OCTOBER 12
The first signs of fall begin to appear at the highest elevations (above 6,000 feet). Places to visit include Graveyard Fields, Grandfather Mountain, Mount Mitchell State Park and Craggy Gardens.
OCTOBER 12-16
Fall color is strongest above 5,000 feet in the NC mountains. Places to visit are Black Balsam and Max Patch.
OCTOBER 17-21
Fall foliage will arrive at elevations between 4,000-5,000 feet. Places to visit this week are Devil’s Courthouse, Mount Pisgah, Bearwallow Mountain and Pinnacle Park.
OCTOBER 21-24
The fall leaf change reaches elevations between 3,000-4,000 feet. This is a great time for a fall drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway as many overlooks will provide a great view of fall color taking over the valleys below. Places to visit this week are Pisgah National Forest, Linville Gorge and Montreat.
OCTOBER 24-27
Elevations between 2,000-3,000 feet see the strongest fall color. Places to visit this week are Biltmore, North Carolina Arboretum, DuPont State Forest and Wildcat Trail.
OCTOBER 28 TO NOVEMBER 4
Fall color hits the lowest valleys and foothills between 1,000-2,000 feet. Places to visit include Chimney Rock Park.
Finally, even if you stay on course and reach Cherokee, you still have the option of visiting the nearby Oconaluftee Visitor Center and journeying up US-441 through Great Smoky Mountain National Park with all its remarkable fall color.
But let’s stick to the plan …
The Blue Ridge Parkway through Jackson County, NC, will not disappoint. The Pisgah region ends, or in this case begins, at Milepost 469, two miles from Cherokee. Technically, it ends at MP 340, but you can go a bit further north and end this trip where you began the previous one if you prefer.
Start your morning (early afternoon) by Milepost 469experiencing the rich culture of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians. In Cherokee you’ll find the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, the fascinating Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual Inc., the renovated Oconaluftee Indian Village and the fabulous outdoor drama, Unto These Hills. For more information, visit: visitcherokeenc.com.
You begin a curvy climb up from an elevation
of 2,000 feet, but it won’t take long vistas to appear. At 451 is Waterrock Knob, which offers 360-degree, four-state views. It’s the best view of the Smokies, the Nantahalas, the Pisgahs and the Cowee Mountains and the best sunrise/sunset spot on this part of the Parkway. At Milepost 431.4 you will reach Richland Balsam Overlook. At 6,053 feet, you are at the high point on the Parkway and expansive views prove it.
Graveyard Fields (MP 418.8) offers swimming holes, waterfalls, berry picking and hiking, while Looking Glass Rock Overlook at Milepost 417 provides a view of a 3,969-foot granite monolith that is one of the most picturesque along the Parkway.
Near Milepost 413, the Parkway provides access to Highway 276 and nearby Sliding Rock, a magnet for the young (and the young at heart), who can slide down a natural, 60foot rock water slide into a refreshing, 8-foot deep pool.
A bit further and near the end of this delightful drive is Milepost 408.6 and Mount Pisgah. The Pisgah Inn (pisgahinn.com) is one of the only places along the Parkway that offers sit-down dining and lodging. It’s also known for beautiful sunrises, excellent hiking or simply being a place to rest, relax and get ready for your ride back home. n
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