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| Devils Courthouse and Blue Ridge Parkway, NC | |
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| | Devils Courthouse and Blue Ridge Parkway, NC | | | |
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Devils Courthouse and Blue Ridge Parkway, NC
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| Hiking | 1.42 Miles |
313 AEG |
| | Hiking | 1.42 Miles | 39 Mns | | 2.30 mph |
| 313 ft AEG | 2 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | After two attempts with Android Auto to get to the Blue Ridge Parkway out of Asheville (there are three options), I finally got to the VC. The ranger gave me a map and suggested where I could get off the Parkway to head for Knoxville. She also suggested I get fuel even though I probably had ample. It's a very nice VC outside of Asheville but not the easiest to get to; especially if you're not familiar with the area.The Blue Ridge Parkway was part of The New Deal instituted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Congress. The New Deal was designed to provide work for those unemployed and poor as a result of The Great Depression. Construction on the Parkway began on September 11, 1935, near Cumberland Knob in North Carolina. The Parkway was completed 52 years later near Linn Cove Viaduct, which runs around Grandfather Mountain. Engineers also designed the Parkway to have a minimal impact on the mountains and to be barely visible from lower elevations. Tunnels were often used to avoid damaging mountains and causing large "scars". North Carolina contains 25 tunnels and there is 1 in Virginia. https://blueridgemountainlife.com/blue- ... vel-guide/
I was driving about 60 miles from east to west and would eventually get off at Highway 74 in about 4 1/2 hours with about 22 stops. We've all heard of the Blue Ridge Parkway and may have even seen some pictures but it was a whole other thing actually driving it. Fall is obviously the best time  . The colors are all over the place as to prime and there is so much color! I didn't research any of this and wish I had. It would have made my many stops much more informative as to what I was looking at from the overlook. The VC is at Mile 384 and this is pretty much my itinerary with a late start at 9:53AM:
393.8 French Broad Overlook, Elevation 2100'. The French Broad River is one of the few north-flowing rivers in the United States. I was right next to it when I was walking along the Biltmore Estate's Lagoon yesterday.
396.4 Walnut Cove Overlook Black Walnut trees, although sparse among the other mountain hardwoods, are found in abundance in the aptly named Walnut Cove. Mountain Black Walnut was important to the locals to make furniture and gunstocks as well as for dye still used by present day crafters.
397.1 Grassy Knob Tunnel
398.3 Chestnut Cove Overlook: Chestnut trees once thrived in this area, but the trees were almost completely wiped out in the 1930s by a fungus blight. Chestnut sprouts can be found near this site trying to make a comeback.
399.1 Pine Mountain Tunnel
399.7 Bad Fork Valley Overlook, Elev 3350'
400.9 Ferrin Knob #1 Tunnel (Knob and Bald is used a lot here in this area) As nouns the difference between mountain and knob is that mountain is a large mass of earth and rock, rising above the common level of the earth or adjacent land, usually given by geographers as above 1000 feet in height, though such masses may still be described as hills in comparison with larger mountains while knob is a rounded protuberance, handle, or control switch. Balds are mountain summits or crests covered primarily by thick vegetation of native grasses or shrubs occurring in areas where heavy forest growth would be expected.)
401.1 Wash Creek Valley Overlook
401.3 and .5 Ferrin Knob #2 and #3 Tunnels 404 Fork Mountain Tunnel
404.2 Hominy Valley Overlook (view of the rural mountain community west of Asheville) 404.5 Mills River Valley Overlook was named for William Mills who lived in this area during the late 1700s and early 1800s. Mills was a hunter and reported the last elk to be seen in North Carolina. Elk are now being reintroduced in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee.
406.9 Little Pisgah Tunnel 407.3 Buck Springs Tunnel
408.6 Mount Pisgah General Store for some lunch
409.3 Funnel Top Overlook 4925' elevation - view of Funnel Top Mtn as well as view of Fryingpan Mountain Tower and Lookout 410.1 Frying Pan Tunnel
411.0 Cradle of Forestry Overlook: In the late 1800s George Vanderbilt bought a very large portion of the Pisgah wilderness. Vanderbilt was an early conservationist who wanted to preserve the natural beauty of the area and create a vast game preserve. Dr. Carl Alwin Schenck, a German forestry professor, was hired by Vanderbilt to manage his property and start a forestry school. The first School of American Forestry operated from 1898 to 1913. Schenck trained 300 foresters.
And, of course, the last two days I've spent time at George Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate. 
413.2 Pounding Mill Overlook: More than a century ago, mountain people would build a hammer type mill to grind corn. The mills were water powered and built along streams such as Pounding Mill Branch.
415.7 Cherry Cove Overlook (Cherry Cove is 1000 feet below): Because of favorable conditions, the Black Cherry trees grow up to 100 feet in the cove, compared to about 50 feet in the lowlands. In the early fall, thousands of birds are attracted by the ripened cherries on the trees.
Also it looks like the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) hike traverses this area. I didn't know there was such a trail.
417.0 Looking Glass Rock Overlook  : One of the largest masses of granite in the Eastern United States, Looking Glass Rock gets its name from the shimmering effects of sunlight on its surface when wet.
418.3 East Fork Overlook: Located here are the headwaters of the Pigeon River. Yellowstone Falls is a short distance away and gets its name from the yellowish moss covering the rocks. (Needless to say, another hike of many one can do from the Parkway).
418.8 Graveyard Fields 5120' elevation (great hiking from here if you get a chance): https://www.virtualblueridge.com/parkwa ... rd-fields/
I can tell you by now I was wishing I had Tonto 3 just for the keyless entry as it was a pain to use the key to get in and out of that vehicle for several hours.
422.1 Devil’s Courthouse Tunnel is one of 26 such tunnels along the Blue Ridge Parkway. At 350' long it's one of the shorter Parkway tunnels. Constructed in the early 1940's, this particular tunnel is unique in that it was the first to incorporate an inner concrete lining to reduce cave-ins and water seepage. This lining worked so well that it was eventually used in all Parkway Tunnels. Also, the fancy stonework you see at the entrances of this and other Parkway tunnels wasn't part of the original road design, they were added at a later date by Italian stonemasons...
422.4  Devil’s Courthouse Overlook and HIKE: There are many folklore tales from the Cherokee to early mountain settlers that say the devil holds court in a cave within the mountain.
Hike: The mostly-paved trail for the first .3 miles, starts from the overlook parking area (5,462 elevation) beside the mountain. The Devil’s Courthouse is 5,720 elevation at the peak. (Another optional hike you could do: On the back side of the mountain is beautiful Courthouse Falls, an easy hike from NC Highway 215.) While the hike to the summit is relatively short and mostly paved, it’s an unrelenting climb to the top. But the views from the summit are well worth the journey: sweeping panoramas stretch as far as the eye can see in all directions, offering views of nearby peaks in the Pisgah National Forest, and far-flung views into South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.
The trail goes through a shady, mossy, sweet-smelling forest of balsam fir and apparently rare, high-altitude plants (spreading avens and the rock gnome lichen). Unfortunately, the rhododendrons weren't in bloom so I can only imagine how beautiful that would be. I didn't realize that when the trail veered left it actually went over the Tunnel I had just driven through and there are two additional hikes from that area. The last of the ascent is up these stone steps. I encountered an older lady prior to that who was sitting down and said that was as far as she was going. Well it was pretty impressive because the trail is pretty steep up for non-hikers.
Once on top I saw these unusual map markers that are really cool called Sight Over Cones. It's a 200 ft sheer drop over the edge from what they call the Stone Opera Box (surrounding stone wall). It is illegal to leave the established trail and marked overlook in this area; however, I did get this cool picture of a dude sitting out on a bit of a point below that was pretty cool. I didn't get to see any falcons but I did see a Chinook.
You could see a big lake in the distance that one of the fellows IDed as Toxaway and that's what I put in my video; however, I saw another hiker call it Lake Jocassee in SC. I've spent so much time already trying to ID it correctly I'm just going to throw up my arms on this one. I talked with a few of the other visitors up here so that was fun. As I was hiking down I noticed a few of the people going up were probably not going to make it, especially once they turned the corner and saw how steep the trail becomes.
424.4 Herrin Knob Overlook was named after James Herren who owned land and operated a sawmill here.430.7 Cowee Mountains Overlook is one of the few overlooks that offer 180-degree views without any obstructions.
431.0 Haywood-Jackson Overlook
431.4 Richland Balsam Overlook The highest point of the Parkway is found here at 6053 feet. The overlook gives views of the southern Appalachians. From here the Cowees, Nantahalas and Plott balsams can be seen.
432.7 Lone Bald Overlook At one time a red spruce, or he-balsam, stood on what was then known as Lone Balsam Mountain. One day the tree fell, and the mountain is now known as Lone Bald.
439.4 Cove Field Ridge Overlook 4,620 elevation.
439.7 Pinnacle Ridge Tunnel from there the drive is a beautiful nature tunnel of trees of all sizes in Fall colors and I will depart the Blue Ridge Parkway  at Balsam Gap, MP 443.1 at 3,370 elevation about 2:37PM
I went through twelve tunnels: All the Parkway tunnels representing 36% of the entire National Park Service tunnel inventory. The distinctive stone masonry portals on most Parkway tunnels were generally not part of the original construction, added later in the 1950s and 1960s.
I sure hope I get to do this again but include a lot more hiking. I haven't checked to see if there are any backpacking opportunities but I assume so with the MST Trail nearby. I was actually glad to finally be back on a regular road cuz the beauty and color and sky and clouds were almost overwhelming me. I finished the drive to Knoxville airport which is clear (or as my dad used to say "clean") on the other side of Knoxville to meet a couple more participants of our Great Smoky Mountain Photo Workshop.
Part 1 MP 384 Blue Ridge Parkway VC to MP 403 Young Pisgah Ridge Tunnel [ youtube video ]
Part 2 MP 403 to MP 415.7 Cherry Cove Overlook [ youtube video ]
Part 3 MP 415.7 to MP 422.4 Devil's Courthouse (including part of the hike) [ youtube video ]
Part 4 MP 422.4 Devils Courthouse including part of the hike to MP 442 Balsam Gap [ youtube video ] |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial
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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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Devil’s Courthouse Overlook and HIKE
