The North Carolina Mountains Places

Blue Ridge Parkway

Hiking

National Park Service Blue Ridge Parkway Headquarters. More than 100 trails lead off the Blue Ridge Parkway, from easy strolls to strenuous hikes. For more information on parkway trails, visit or contact the National Park Service Blue Ridge Parkway Headquarters office at MM 384 near Asheville. Another good source is Walking the Blue Ridge: A Guide to the Trails of the Blue Ridge Parkway, by Leonard Adkins, available at most Parkway visitor-center gift shops. Blue Ridge Pkwy., MM 384, Asheville, NC, 28803. 828/298-0398 Parkway information line; 828/271-4779 Parkway HQ office. www.nps.gov/blri.

Figure 8 Trail. Moses H. Cone Park's (MM 292.7) Figure 8 Trail is an easy and beautiful trail that the Cone family designed for their morning walks. The ½-mi loop winds through a tunnel of rhododendrons and a hardwood forest. Blue Ridge Pkwy., MM 292.7, Blowing Rock, NC, 28605. www.nps.gov/blri.

Waterrock Knob Trail. Those who tackle the strenuous ½-mi Waterrock Knob Trail (MM 451.2), near the south end of the Parkway, will be rewarded with spectacular views from the 6,300-foot-high Waterrock Knob summit, the highest peak in the Plott Balsams range. Blue Ridge Pkwy., MM 451.2, 18 mi from south end of Parkway, NC. www.nps.gov/blri.