Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway starts 25 minutes from here
The Blue Ridge Parkway’s southern terminus, milepost 469, is at the Cherokee entrance to the national park, 14 miles from the lodge. The first 40 miles north are the highest on the whole road, and in October the most crowded. Go early.
- From the lodge
- 14 mi / ~25 min to milepost 469 · 26 mi / ~45 min to Waterrock Knob
- Allow
- Half a day to Waterrock Knob and back; a full day to Graveyard Fields
- Fees
- None. Sections close in snow and ice; check nps.gov/blri before winter drives
- Fall color
- Peaks at the high overlooks in early–mid October, in the valleys by late October
The first 20 miles
From Cherokee the road climbs fast. Thomas Divide and Big Witch overlooks come early. Soco Gap (MP 455.7) is where US-19 crosses. Heintooga Ridge Road, a seasonal spur at MP 458.2, dead-ends at Mile High Overlook and the Balsam Mountain picnic area, one of the emptiest corners of the park.
Waterrock Knob
At MP 451.2, a small visitor center and a paved-then-rocky trail of about 1.2 miles round trip to a 6,292-foot summit. Sunset here is the reason to come. Bring a layer; it is often 15 degrees cooler than the lodge.
Soco Falls
Not on the Parkway but on US-19 between Cherokee and Maggie Valley: a 120-foot double waterfall, a short steep path from a roadside pull-off, 19 miles from the lodge.
Further north
Richland Balsam (MP 431) is the highest point on the Parkway road at 6,053 feet, with a 1.5-mile summit loop. Keep going for Devil’s Courthouse (MP 422), Graveyard Fields (MP 419) and lunch at the Pisgah Inn (MP 409), about 80 minutes each way from the lodge.
Eat afterward
Pack a picnic; there is nothing on the Parkway itself until Pisgah Inn. Maggie Valley is the nearest town off Soco Gap.
Where to stay
Then come back up the hill
Most Parkway lodging is in Asheville or Maggie Valley. From Smoky Cove you start at the terminus, drive the highest miles first, and are back at the fire pit before dark.
Common questions
Where does the Blue Ridge Parkway end?
At milepost 469, where it meets US-441 at the Oconaluftee entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Cherokee, 14 miles from The Lodge at Smoky Cove.
When is fall color best on the southern Blue Ridge Parkway?
The high overlooks (Waterrock Knob, Richland Balsam) usually peak in the first two weeks of October; the valleys around Cherokee and Dillsboro follow in late October.
Is the Blue Ridge Parkway open in winter?
It closes in sections whenever there is snow or ice, which is often from December to March at these elevations. The National Park Service posts real-time closures.
More places nearby
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
14 mi / ~25 min to Oconaluftee · 15 mi / ~25 min to Deep Creek
10 mi / ~15 min to Harrah’s · 11 mi to the museum
13 mi / ~20 min to the depot · 24 mi / ~30 min to NOC
Sleep up the hill from here
Rooms from $189 a night, or the entire lodge for a group.