Summer hikes in Asheville: stunning Blue Ridge Parkway excursions with a view

ASHEVILLE - Summer has arrived to the tune of climbing temperatures and swelling humidity, but more can be done to beat the heat than hunkering down with already-straining air conditioning on blast. Area hiking guides have a more exciting offer: Go up.

In about 30 minutes or less from the city center, the mountains rise sharply out of the valley, some to the highest heights in the Eastern United States. Many iconic summits can be accessed with a trip along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, which runs for 469 miles from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to the Smokies in Cherokee.

Higher elevations means sometimes 10-15 degrees cooler temps, said Bev MacDowell, a 12-year volunteer with Carolina Mountain Club, which celebrated its 100th year in 2023.

She envisioned a journey down the parkway: beginning 30 miles northeast of Asheville at Mount Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi River at 6,684-feet, and traversing south along the Blue Ridge Mountains, with detours at Hawkbill Rock, near Craggy Gardens; Mount Pisgah, near the historic Pisgah Inn, the highest-elevation lodging on the parkway at over 5,000 feet; and Appalachian balds like Black Balsam and Sam Knob.

“It’s like stepping out of this world, out of Asheville, and escaping for a little bit," MacDowell said of a visit to any of these destinations. “We live in a beautiful place.”

Fire towers and more

Peter Barr, Conserving Carolina’s Trails Specialist and author of "Exploring North Carolina’s Lookout Towers," recommended stops at Fryingpan Mountain and Green Knob lookout towers, both easy visits just off the parkway, he said.

From towers especially, hikers can expect a cooling breeze, Barr said. In the summer, he advised visitors to allow more time for the hike and to pack lots of water.

"Make the most of it. Don’t let the heat deter you," Barr said. "Because it’s worthwhile.”

Karen Lachow, who has led hikes with Carolina Mountain Club for seven years, and is one of its hike schedulers, pointed to the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, stretching across North Carolina for 1,175 miles, from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks. It parallels the parkway from Cherokee to Mount Mitchell, she said, and after a brief detour, reconnects back in Blowing Rock.

"There's so many places if you hike along the Mountains-to-Sea Trail that you can get just amazing views because of the way it follows the parkway," she said, particularly higher elevations areas, like those near Mount Pisgah and Craggy Gardens, or a stretch from Woodfin Cascades to Waterrock Knob, an about 10.5-mile roundtrip.

"The higher up you go, the better the views," she said of the area's offerings.

6 more recommended summer hikes with a view

Green Knob Lookout Tower

Where: The Green Knob Overlook, at parkway Milepost 350.3, about 5 miles north of Mount Mitchell, serves as the trailhead for two U.S. Forest Service trails, one of which is Green Knob Trail, which ascends from the parkway to the lookout tower. The trailhead is 100 yards north of the overlook.

More: The fire tower is 21-feet-tall, Barr said, built in 1931 and a half-mile hike from the parkway. “For my money, it has probably the best view of Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountains from anywhere," he said.

Mount Mitchell

Where: Mount Mitchell State Park, N.C. 128 at Milepost 355 on the parkway about 30 miles northeast of Asheville.

Distance/Difficulty: There are several trails, ranging from easy to strenuous. The Balsam Nature Trail near the summit is a .75-mile loop suitable for children. The 4-mile round trip Old Mitchell Trail starts at the park office and leads to the summit before the return to the office.

More: The 6,684-foot summit is the highest peak east of the Mississippi and on a clear days has 360-degree views. The summit has an accessible ramp.

Mount Pisgah

Where: Take the parkway to MP 407, about 20 miles southwest of Asheville, into the Mount Pisgah parking area.

Distance/Difficulty: The hike is 2.4 miles round-trip with 712 feet of elevation of elevation gain. Moderate difficulty.

More: At 5,720-feet, MacDowell said the summit boasts almost 360-degree views. As part of a collaboration between the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service and Carolina Mountain Club, the Mount Pisgah viewing platform was recently reconstructed.

Fryingpan Mountain Lookout Tower

Where: In the Pisgah National Forest at parkway MP 409.6. One mile south of the Pisgah Inn and campgrounds, and 2.3 miles north of the junction with US 276. A gravel road junctions with the paved Parkway and marks the trailhead/turn-off. Park on the grass adjacent to the Parkway. Make sure you do not block the gate.

Distance/Difficulty: 1.4 miles round-trip. Barr said it is moderate difficulty, and traverses a Forest Service road, much of it gravel.

More: This historic, 70-foot fire tower is among the tallest of its kind in Western North Carolina. Constructed in the 1940s as a lookout for land management agencies like the U.S. Forest Service, this tower was a home-away-from-home for fire watchers for nearly a half-century. The tower is perched atop a 5,430-foot peak, said Conserving Carolina's website.

Black Balsam

Where: Shining Rock Wilderness of Haywood County in Pisgah National Forest. Take FS Road 816 off the parkway to MP 420. Follow for a mile to the trailhead.

Distance/Difficulty: 5.2-mile loop starting on the Ivestor Gap Trail to jaw-dropping views from Tennent Mountain and Black Balsam Knob, ending on Art Loeb Trail. Moderate difficulty.

Sam Knob

Where: Shining Rock Wilderness in Pisgah National Forest, access on FS Road 816, off the parkway at MP 420. Park at the end of the dirt road. Rock outcrops and gorgeous views.

Distance/Difficulty: A loop hike, including a side hike to Sam Knob Bald (6,040 feet), combined with Flat Laurel Creek Trail is 3.6 miles. Moderate difficulty.

More: Where are golden-winged warblers? Max Patch a possible haven for imperiled bird species

More: Best waterfalls in Western NC: See the tallest, falls with short hikes, swimming holes

Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email [email protected] or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Blue Ridge Parkway summer hikes to beat the heat in WNC