State: North Carolina
Link: https://www.nps.gov/blri/index.htm
Days: 1
Month: March
Hotel: N/A
Hikes: 1 = 1.2 miles
Ice Cream: N/A
We started at the south end of the Smoky Mountains National Park and drove to the (closed) visitor center at mile marker 451.2. Along the way, we stopped at several overlooks. The overall drive and views were stunning.
I’m not sure what the first overlook was that we stopped at but the second one was Lickstone Ridge Overlook.
Next we stopped at Soco Gap Overlook and walked a little trail. It was nice to walk around and stretch our legs.
The furthest point we drove to was the Waterrock Knob Visitor Center. Unfortunately, the restrooms were closed, as was the visitor center. While there, we ate the lunch we packed. We had to eat in the car because it was very windy. Once we were done eating, we went to the Pedestrian Overlook. Although paved, it was very steep. The view was nice but not as nice as some it the other overlooks (that were a lot easier to get to) but still very nice.
We continued to the Waterrock Knob Trail that takes you to the summit. This is the highest point on the parkway at 6,273 feet. The trail is 1.2 moderate miles out and back, gaining 412 feet on the way out (in 0.6 miles). There were a lot of rocks and rock scrambling along the path. Portions of the trail were very steep. On the way back down, I wiped out on wet rocks; be careful!
At this point we started heading back stopping at a couple overlooks. One even had a little waterfall across the road.
Once we were done admiring the beauty, we retreated to the Smoky Mountains NP.