LITTLE SWITZERLAND, N.C. � Sitting atop Table Rock Mountain on a sunny fall day, admiring the panoramic splendor of the Blue Ridge Mountains from about 3,900 feet up, can be a magical experience.
The view extends for miles in all directions. You can see at least six distinct mountain ridges: the most distant are, in fact, blue; the nearest are covered in green and red. Silence prevails, punctuated by a crow’s occasional caw.
Mother Nature rules this territory, the so-called “High Country” of western North Carolina, about 70 miles north of Asheville. From Mount Mitchell on the south to Grandfather Mountain on the north, this 80-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway, nearly all in Pisgah National Forest, provides almost unequaled visual thrills.
To really appreciate this area, however, you must leave the car. Some of the loveliest scenic attractions can be viewed only after a hike, often strenuous, and often taking at least a half-hour.
Start in Little Switzerland
Little Switzerland serves as a good place to start three days of exploration. Dating to the early years of the last century, the town was so named because the setting reminded town founders of the Jura Mountains in Switzerland.
Check out the town’s small shops and galleries, but you’ll have to head north to Linville Falls or Spruce Pine for the night. The town’s main hotels are closed mid-November to March or April.
You can get a sense of the region’s majesty by driving north from Little Switzerland at Milepost 334 to the Linville Falls area, near Milepost 316, to see perhaps the most famous of the parkway waterfalls.
Linville Falls has upper and lower falls; the upper falls has two smaller split cascades; the lower falls one taller cascade. Viewing spots are accessible by foot, and the walk is not too strenuous, though it’s no easy stroll.
Stop at The Orchard at Altapass, which marks its 100th year in 2008. The store packs food items (apple butter, jams, jellies, fudge), crafts, books, music and some great jigsaw puzzles for children.
If you are traveling with children, watch for kid-friendly attractions near the parkway out toward Grassy Creek and Spruce Pine. The Museum of North Carolina Minerals, off the parkway at Milepost 331, explains how minerals are formed and what they are used for, and the explanation is geared toward younger visitors.
Often referred to as the gem mining capital of the U.S., the area known as the Spruce Pine Mining District still has several mines where precious and semi-precious gemstones can be found. For example, this part of the state produces nearly all of the world’s ultra-pure quartz, which goes into computers.
Do some shopping
Heading north again, toward Boone, visit the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park and manor house, the former home of a North Carolina textile tycoon, near Milepost 294. The house is a visitor information center and Southern Highland Craft Guild gallery featuring regional arts and crafts, a smaller version of the guild’s gallery off Interstate 40 outside Asheville.
Blowing Rock is not far away, off U.S. 321 and 221, with shops, skiing in winter and whitewater rafting in summer. The town’s Winterfest is Jan. 24-27. May through October, visit Tweetsie Railroad, a Wild West theme park, between Blowing Rock and Boone.
Come back south on the parkway to the Grandfather Mountain overlook, off Milepost 306. The mountain, among the oldest in the world, is the highest in the Blue Ridge, at almost 6,000 feet, and MacRae Meadows at the base of the mountain is the site of a huge Scottish Games each July.
Then take State Routes 181 and 90 to Table Rock Mountain, but only if you are up for a half-hour, one-mile hike that goes from 3,400 feet to 3,900 feet elevation.
The drive from the main highway to the Table Rock parking area can be harrowing and slow � about 40 minutes to drive 12 miles on a narrow gravel road, except for the last 1.4-mile paved segment that redefines “hairpin curve.”
But getting to the summit is worth the trip. The view is spectacular, giving new meaning to “Oh beautiful, for spacious skies.” Looking northwest, you’d think you could almost see into Tennessee; looking south, you can see part of Lake James.
Head south
On the last day of your trip, head south. Five miles past Little Switzerland is a second waterfall, the 70-foot Crabtree Falls. The loop to the falls and back (out one mile, about 30-45 minutes, and back 1.5 miles, 45-60 minutes) is called strenuous, and portions are at least that.
Further south, near Milepost 355, exit the parkway and drive to Mount Mitchell. The tallest point east of the Mississippi River, at nearly 6,700 feet, this is part of the Black Mountains, the highest range in the East. Proceed to the summit via a strenuous hike, but a less rigorous trail also is available.
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