My wife and I are considering a fall trip to one of these areas. Are they comparable in terms of hiking opportunities and scenic beauty, or would you recommend one area over the other? Thanks.

Highlands and Cashiers are in a more beautiful area, though Asheville is no slouch.

Asheville is a small city, Cashiers is a resort community, Highlands a small upscale village at 4000 feet. It's a bit like comparing apples, oranges, and peaches.

All are surrounded by national forest with hiking opportunities, Asheville is closer to the Appalachian Trail, if you want a Big One.

May have no applicability here, but be aware that the govt shutdown has affected Blue Ridge Parkway facilities so access around Asheville to trails may be affected, too.

Also depends on where you are coming from if Cashiers is more accessible for you. Beautiful area, but up and down the parkway from Asheville has beautiful places to explore.

I agree - accessibility should be a factor. And if you're thinking of coming during leave season (mid-late Oct), you may be limited in what's still available for lodging.

Another idea for you - nearby is Brevard - a great little college town with cute shops and good restaurants. There are many hikes with gorgeous waterfalls and trails. I have run a trail marathon there and it was just stunning! Good Luck.

Been contemplating this for a summer trip in that region. I like the looks of the Highlands/Cashiers area. But, thw previous poster has a really good point......Brevard. I haven't been to any of these places yet. Been to Asheville and the Smokey Mountains. Asheville is a small city. Cashiers is a small town. Looking at the map, Brevard is central to everything. Its a stones throw from Asheville and Highlands/Cashiers, so you can visit all those places. Highlands is on top on a mountain, so it probably takes a decent amount of time to get places and I understand everything in Highlands is expensive. Brevard would probably be more reasonable.

I am not sure that is correct--I never found Brevard very accessible to many places. And Brevard has evolved into a real (especially) music hub from a one-motel-restaurant town which it was MANY years ago!! More power!!
whether it is "expensive" is relative, I think.
I don't think it is that easy to access Cashiers or Asheville at all unless they have put in a lot of highways I am not "up" on. LOL

It depends on where the starting point is. I usually start coming from the Clayton, GA area and the drive time to Asheville is about the same as driving to Brevard going via Highlands and Cashiers. 90 miles vs 60 miles = same drive time because the routing to Asheville is 4 lane and expressway vs 2 lane curvy roads. I like them both.

Brevard may look central on a map, but one needs to consider the roads to and from it to determine if it's a good base. In any case, you can't go wrong with any of those choices.

Highlands' shopping is more expensive than the other downtowns. You'll see the labels you'd find on 5th Avenue and the UES of NYC. But if you don't walk into those stores, Highlands is no more expensive - in shopping or real estate - than any of the other areas mentioned.

True. I just heard the restaurants were expensive in Highlands. Plus, another thing to consider is that Brevard is much closer to the Blue Ridge Parkway, where there's a lot to do and see. Highlands/Cashiers I've been told is on top of a mountain to. So, yeah it might be a slow go from Brevard to Highlands. But, but going anywhere from Highlands/Cashiers is probably a slow go because all the highways that radiate from town are windy two lane mountain roads. Brevard is also close to 4 lane highways (Interstate 26).

I have to chuckle because driving on two lane mountain highways TO SEE THE SCENERY is pretty much the whole point. There is not enough in any of these places to make it worth worrying about how long it will take you to get from one to the other of them.

My grandmother lived near enough to Highlands and Cashiers that we spent happy kid summer vacations with her every year the same way my grandchildren come to Nantucket to enjoy the summer.

But unless you have a tee time, there isn't anything to rush for: no world class art, no world class music, no world class food, just beautiful areas in which to relax.

asdaven, I'm saying this with the utmost respect. You say that you've heard and you share the way things look on the map. Have you actually eaten in Highlands or shopped in Highlands or driven from Highlands to Brevard and then the Blue Ridge Parkway or driven from Highlands to Franklin and have any idea what that road is like and the sights one sees along the way? It appears you have not. There are expensive restaurants in Highlands and inexpensive restaurants in Highlands and places to buy food for picnics. Brevard is delightful and is often a destination in and of itself. It's not what I think of as a "base" because of the roads in and out of it. Hendersonville would work better, if that's the goal. Again, no disrespect but there seem to be several recent posts and no indication that you've actually been there or experienced the area.

My apologies if I am out of line but your comparison (and recommendations) of Highlands and Brevard just have me puzzled.

No I haven't. Just looking at the maps and what I hear on here. I too want to visit the Highlands/Cashiers and Brevard areas and debating which place to use as a base, although i want to visit both places. That area of Western NC is probably the only area I haven't been. Been on the Blue Ridge Parkway north of Asheville, Boone/Blowing Rock, Smoky Mountains, and Asheville several times plus North Georgia. Been around the NC side of the Smokies too , Cherokee, Franklin, etc.

I think Starrs and Ack nailed it. And to me the area south of Asheville on the BRParkway (and off) are a bit more remote in a way--and the distances can be a little fooling, especially about Brevard. Whether they are that close to interstates I also think can be misleading (south of Asheville).

Highland is 14 miles off the 4 lane that runs between Atlanta and Asheville. It's not "expressway" all of the way, but is a quick drive - vs "curvy mountain roads". I simply don't understand the explanation that Brevard is more accessible than Highlands. I think it's double that distance from Brevard to "expressway".

Anyway, Ack is right. Most people visit the towns and enjoy the route along the way. The journey IS the experience. Can't go wrong with any of the choices.