Warmer weather is finally here, and droves of hikers are hitting the trails in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. For some, that means a leisurely stroll along the level paths of the Davidson River in the Pisgah National Forest. For others, it means striving to climb the many steep ridges along the Blue Ridge Parkway. No matter which path you choose, the right foods and...
Learn MoreThe Blue Ridge Parkway is a wildflower lover’s paradise, offering a huge variety of native species during spring, summer and fall. Depending on your elevation and north/south orientation, some species can be found blooming over a considerably long period of time. This list is a highlight of some of the most popular wildflowers, their usual months in bloom and...
Learn MoreThe Blue Ridge Parkway will open the section of the motor road at milepost 358 between Craggy Gardens and Mt. Mitchell State Park on May 4, 2013. The Blue Ridge Parkway road section was closed to allow for the implementation of critical slope stabilization and a road reconstruction project while ensuring public safety and to allow for the completion of the project in the...
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Back to Rough Butt Bald Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and another visit to the Mountains to Sea Trail. The MtS follows, or remains close to the Parkway through much of Western North Carolina, so there are a number of easily accessible jumping off points that head into the backcountry. Middle Prong Wilderness was designated in 1984 and spans rugged high-elevation...
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Southeast of the Cradle of Forestry National Historical Site is a remote area of Pisgah National Forest with trails that will take you along ridge lines with views of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Looking Glass Rock, then follow creeks and streams as they tumble down the mountains to the western end of South Mills River. You will encounter names like Squirrel Gap, Glady...
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Cedar Rock is one of several granite pluton monoliths found in the Davidson River area of Pisgah National Forest. More difficult to get to than its nearby brethren, Looking Glass and John Rock, Cedar Rock has outstanding long distance views from both the east and west sides of its summit. You will have to work to get there, climbing nearly 1,700 feet from the valley...
Learn MoreIn a reversal of 70 years of “vigorously suppressed” fires on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Superintendent Phil Francis has announced that 150 acres will be burned near Doughton Park “to return the site to a more natural vegetation type” and “increase the quality of wildlife habitat.” The fire, dubbed the “Mahogany Rock Burn,” will be the very first conducted entirely on the...
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The Mountains-to-Sea Trail might not have the cachet of the Appalachian Trail, and is even partly theoretical, but for hikers looking for a more varied path, it’s right up their alley. Most people think of a trail as a footpath through wilderness, a solitary walkway populated by sassafras trees and woodpeckers. If you’ve ever spent time on the Appalachian Trail, you’ve...
Learn MoreIf you want to run the busiest national park unit in the country, you need to know the people who make the park tick. From the rangers to the visitors to the local business owners and the volunteers. The people who know Phil Francis, the superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway for nearly 8 years, say he has been that kind of leader. Unlike many government bureaucrats...
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Quite frequently in winter, the Blue Ridge Parkway will be closed for snow and ice. Not great fun for those who wish to drive along the beautiful ridges. Ah — but it’s the perfect time for hikers to get out on the trails that parallel the Parkway — like the Mountains to Sea. Between Pigeon Gap and Bennett Gap at miles 412-414 the Mountains to Sea Trail...
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The Black Balsam area of Pisgah National Forest is surrounded by Middle Prong Wilderness on the west, and Shining Rock Wilderness on the east. Some of the best hiking found in Western North Carolina lies in this high country just north of the Blue Ridge Parkway. At the end of Black Balsam Road at milepost 420 on the Parkway, the Ivestor Gap Trail will take you deep into...
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Between mileposts 423 and 424 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Scenic Hwy 215 crosses at Beech Gap. If you head about 1/4 mile north on 215, the famous Mountains to Sea Trail crosses from the Black Balsam area into Middle Prong Wilderness. The MtS winds through an ever-changing forest that runs the gamut of evergreens found in the high country of Western North Carolina. Past...
Learn MoreHurricane Sandy has affected the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia, bringing snow, rain, and extreme wind, forcing closure of most sections of the Parkway. Until the weather improves and cleanup is completed, travel on the Parkway is not advised. The National Park Service is asking motorists to avoid traveling on the Blue Ridge Parkway over the next several days...
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Pilot Rock is another of the granite plutons found in the Pisgah Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest. Not as spectacular as it’s more famous cousin, Looking Glass Rock, Pilot still offers remarkable views of the Blue Ridge Parkway and national forest, including the Cradle of Forestry National Historical Site. It’s a short mile climb of almost 700 feet...
Learn MoreA birder, ecologist and forester will lead a guided fall hike through the Waynesville, NC 8,600-acre preserved watershed from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3. Naturalist and birder Don Hendershot and Blair Ogburn of Balsam Mountain Trust will talk about the flora and fauna. Peter Bates of Western Carolina University’s forestry department will answer questions about...
Learn MoreIt was such an enticing getaway in the woods that more than 100 years ago, an Asheville doctor decided to make it his summer home. Only about 10 miles from his regular home. The spot off the Blue Ridge Parkway known as Rattlesnake Lodge retains its secluded, out-in-the wilderness feel today. Rattlesnake Lodge, located off the Mountains-to-Sea Trail just a few miles...
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Over the past few years, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s Kids in Parks program has been installing a network of kid friendly hiking trails, called TRACK Trails, on and in communities along the Blue Ridge Parkway. And now, through a grant provided by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, the program is partnering with the North Carolina...
Learn MoreA group of Western Carolina University students lent a hand to help restore the open balds on the summit of Yellow Face, a peak off the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Plott Balsams. The once open, grassy summit has become overgrown with trees and vegetation — succumbing to a similar fate as many other balds throughout the Southern Appalachians. The students, who are studying...
Learn MoreThey operate in groups, or sometimes alone, packing duffle bags of the illicit product by foot through the Western North Carolina wilderness as they try their best to evade federal agents. Once out of the woods, they smuggle their contraband in the trunks of cars, traveling back roads as they move the goods from remote drop points to warehouses where it is then sold and...
Learn MoreA new cycle of vista clearing projects begins this month on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The projects include cutting trees, shrubs, brush, briars and vines within specified depths to provide vistas with clear and unobstructed views. This upcoming round of work sees the implementation of a revised maintenance plan for vistas intended to lessen the impact on native species,...
Learn MoreOver the past few years, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s Kids in Parks program has been installing a network of kid friendly hiking trails, called TRACK Trails, on and in communities along the Blue Ridge Parkway. To date, the program has installed more than 15 trails in the regions surrounding the Parkway; and in partnership with several land management agencies,...
Learn MoreThe fight for survival is nothing new for high-elevation species in Southern Appalachia. After the glaciers receded at the end of the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago and temperatures warmed, remnants of a cold-weather forest in southern Appalachia were forced high up the mountain slopes. There, they hung on to small, ever-shrinking islands in the upper reaches of the Smoky...
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Named after the Biblical mount where Moses first saw the Promised Land, Mt. Pisgah is the landmark that gave Pisgah National Forest its name. Located on the border of Buncombe and Haywood counties in NC, close to the point where Transylvania and Henderson meet them, the mountain is easily accessible via a hiking trail from the Blue Ridge Parkway. Mt. Pisgah is topped...
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I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. My regular hiking companions have designated me the lead hiker, so I suppose that makes me the slowest Meanderthal. I live in Western NC near the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are just out my door, so the content will focus on these areas, but let me know what you would like to see on the site. 
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