Currently only one trail on the Blue Ridge Parkway, at the Folk Art Center, is designated as accessible according to the Americans with Disabilities Act. The BRP Foundation is funding two projects this year to make more trails on the parkway accessible; one at Price Lake in the Julian Price Park in North Carolina and another at Abbot Lake at the Peaks of Otter in...
Learn MoreThe recent acquisition of 720 acres of land in the Plott Balsams in North Carolina has helped set the table for the first major park to be created along the Blue Ridge Parkway in six decades. The pieces of property help make up Maggie Valley’s watershed. Neil Carpenter, head of the sanitary district for the town, said the recent purchase was a relief. He’s worked at...
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North Mills River Recreation Area in Pisgah National Forest, along with its brother along South Mills River, has a rich trail system. It covers the Pisgah Ridge at the Blue Ridge Parkway down to the North Mills River. A combination of trails leading from the Trace Ridge Trailhead at the recreation area go up, over, and around Coffee Pot Mountain on the way up to the...
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The Mountains to Sea Trail spans the width of North Carolina, running from the Great Smoky Mountains in the west, to the Outer Banks of Coastal Carolina. Much of the trail in the mountainous part of the state is near or parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway. This section of the MST along the parkway has been designated a National Recreation Trail. With elevations well above...
Learn MoreThe Blue Ridge Parkway was recently selected for inclusion in Rand McNally’s Best of the Road program based on submission materials prepared by the Blue Ridge Parkway Association in collaboration with Parkway staff. National Parks Traveler has created its newest guide to the Blue Ridge Parkway in a collection of National Parks Traveler’s Essential Park...
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Thompson Creek Trail climbs Thompson Ridge from Forest Road 1206 to a point just below the Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway. To the southwest it overlooks the Cradle of Forestry National Historic Site and the Pink Beds. To the east it crosses from Transylvania County into Henderson County and joins the Pilot Rock Trail along the Slate Rock Ridge for the descent across...
Learn MoreOn Wednesday, November 2, the National Park Service will hold the first of four meetings on the Blue Ridge Parkway’s first-ever general management plan (GMP) in Asheville, North Carolina. This important document, the first in its 75 year history, will guide resource management at the park for the next twenty years. When the Blue Ridge Parkway was established in 1935, it...
Learn MoreImagine our National Parks full of kids connected, engaged and participating in a variety of activities that contribute to and encourage overall health… their health and the health of our world. A team effort of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation of North Carolina, the Kids in Parks program offers...
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Perhaps the most popular hike in the Pisgah Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest, the Looking Glass Rock Trail is a good 3-mile leg stretcher to the top of the famous pluton. Probably not the most scenic hike is the area, but definitely popular because of ease of access, and a little less difficulty than some of the steeper monoliths. Looking Glass Rock is home to...
Learn MoreFri, Oct 7 10:00 AM Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 364.5 – Craggy Gardens Visitor Center Join rangers at milepost 364.5 for a 1.2 mile round trip hike up the Craggy Bald Trail and see the differences in heath and heather mountain balds. You will also check on the color change of the trees, and see what tree is showing off the most. Put on your hiking shoes, bring some...
Learn MoreFri, Sep 30 10:00 AM Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 420 – Black Balsam parking area Join a ranger for a 2.5 mile round trip hike to the top of Sam Knob Summit. The 570-foot elevation gain of this moderate-to-strenuous hike is well worth the effort for the spectacular views from the top. Learn more about this mountain “bald” and see the beginnings of the colorful...
Learn MoreThu, Sep 29 3:00 PM Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 326 – Heffner Gap Overlook The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail (OVNHT) and the Blue Ridge Parkway are pleased to announce the certification of a new segment of the OVNHT and invite the public to join in a ceremony officially recognizing the designation on Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. at the...
Learn MoreFri, Sep 23 10:00 AM Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 363.4 – Greybeard Parking Overlook Do you need a break from the summer excitement? Are you looking for a spot to get away from the fall crowds? Join a ranger for a trek up to Lunch Rock, a little stone outcrop with a big view. This 1.5 mile section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is a moderate to strenuous one way hike,...
Learn MoreWhile planting trees, repairing trails and enhancing native habitats on National Public Lands Day, don’t forget to bring your camera and take some great shots of your fellow volunteers. Your photo could become a winner in the 11th annual NPLD Volunteers in Action Photo Contest. The Volunteer of the Year Awards recognizes outstanding National Public Lands Day...
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Kind of an unusual name for the mountain this trail is named after, but it is at 5200 feet, so the snow comes earlier in the season, and more frequently than in the valleys below. North of Asheville, NC on the Blue Ridge Parkway, this hike is in the Craggy Gardens area. There are splendid views of the Great Craggy Mountains and the Black Mountains from the three summits...
Learn MoreFri, Sep 9 10:00 AM Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 407.7 – Buck Springs Gap Parking Overlook The Parkway has 26 tunnels. There are far more tunnels of greenery in the southern Appalachians, with curving mountain laurels and rhododendrons. Trails through them make you feel that you are traveling into a special place – and you are; it is the place itself. In this...
Learn MoreFri, Sept. 2 10:00 AM Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 420 – near Graveyard Fields Join Parkway Rangers for a moderate, 1-mile roundtrip hike on the Art Loeb Trail to the summit of Black Balsam Knob (6214’). The rocky trail crosses spacious, alpine-like terrain, and views from the bald summit unfold in every direction. The hike will begin approximately 0.7 mile off the...
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Flat Laurel Creek is in the area just north of the Pisgah Ridge and in between the Shining Rock and Middle Prong Wildernesses. It drains from Sam Knob and Little Sam Knob and runs to the West Fork of the Pigeon River. The trail that bears its name starts at the headwater and travels 3.7 miles around the west side of Little Sam until it meets Hwy. 215 and joins the...
Learn MoreFri, Aug 19 10:00 AM Milepost 422.4 on Blue Ridge Parkway – Devils Court House Overlook Join rangers at the Devil’s Courthouse Overlook at milepost 422.4 for one mile round trip strenuous climb to the peak of Devil’s Courthouse. At 5720 ft. the panoramic view is one of the best around. It includes four states, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and...
Learn MoreSaturday July 23rd at 9:30AM Milepost 176 – Rocky Knob Cabins Take a guided five-mile hike into Rock Castle Gorge, and learn the stories of the ruins from a community that existed there for over 100 years. Wear waterproof boots (or bring old shoes for stream crossings). The trail is moderately strenuous. Bring water and a snack. Meet at the entrance to the cabins....
Learn MoreFriday, July 22nd at 10:00AM Milepost 419 – Graveyard Fields Tired of seeing the rivers and the lakes you are used to? Interested in learning more about the beginning of the conservation movement in Western North Carolina? Come join rangers for a guided hike in Graveyard Fields. They will be exploring an area steeped in history and biodiversity, ending at the upper...
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I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, publisher of Meanderthals, and a passionate hiker. I live in western NC near the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are just out my doorstep, 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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