Skip to main content

The Blue Ridge Parkway - Mile 316.4 - Linville Falls Spur

Image
By


One of the more accessible and popular locations along the Blue Ridge Parkway is Linville Falls.  A spur road off the Parkway at mile 316.4 takes you to magnificent waterfalls with multiple vantage points.  It is easy to spend many hours hiking and exploring here.

Linville Falls is the dramatic start to the Linville Gorge - a 13-mile and 1,500- to 2,000-foot-deep natural wonder in North Carolina's mountains. 

The Spur Road leads to a parking area for the falls with numerous hiking trails. There is a visitor's center that is open seasonally.

Map of the Linville Falls Area and hiking trails. (National Park Service)

Two main trails provide access to the falls. The Linville Gorge Trail (1.4 miles round trip) follows the east side of the river and leads to the base of the falls and the Plunge Basin Overlook.  The Erwin's View Trail (1.6 miles round trip) runs along the west side, leading to four different viewpoints - the Upper Falls, Chimney View, Gorge View, and Erwin's View.  The Linville Gorge Trail is the more strenuous of the two.

On this visit, I explored the Erwins View Trail.

Upper Falls:


The first and typically most crowded viewpoint is of the twin 12-foot Upper Falls and the chute that the Linville River flows through before its more dramatic lower falls.

Chimney View:


It is a little over 1/4 mile from the Upper Falls to Chimney View.  This location affords opportunities to view and photograph the lower falls in isolation.  

Gorge View:


From Chimney View - an uphill climb leads you to two different vantage points.  The furthest - via the right fork - is Gorge View. While this vantage point does not showcase Linville Falls, it presents a great view of Linville Gorge and spectacular birdwatching.

Erwins View:


Take the Left Fork near the end of the trail - and it leads to one of the most spectacular waterfall viewpoints in the Carolinas, Erwins View.  From here, the entire landscape unfolds before you - the falls, the beginnings of Linville Gorge, the surrounding mountains, and more.


Other Stops along Linville Falls Spur Road:


Dugger's Creek Falls:


When at the Linville Falls Parking Area - don't forget the short and easy trek to Dugger's Creek Falls, which sits near the entrance of the main parking lot.  The loop trail is approximately 1/4-mile long and showcases a small 15' waterfall along Dugger's Creek.

Riverbend Overlook:


There are two Parkway overlooks on the Spur Road, Riverbend and Midway.  The Riverbend Overlook sits along a horseshoe bend of the Linville River, a popular spot for fishing or picnicking.


Navigation:


Sources & Links:

How To Get There:


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

North Carolina Continues to Move Forward with Rail

By
2023 and the first half of 2024 have seen continued growth in North Carolina's passenger rail system.  From increased daily trains from Raleigh to Charlotte, federal funds for studying additional corridors, and receiving a historic grant to begin the construction of high-speed rail between Raleigh and Richmond, the last 18 months have been a flurry of activity at NCDOT's Rail Division.  And that's just the tip of the iceberg. As ridership and routes increase - the engine of North Carolina passenger rail trains will become a more common sight. (Adam Prince) Increased Passenger Train Service: On July 10, 2023, a fourth Piedmont round-trip rail service between Raleigh and Charlotte commenced.  The four Piedmont trains plus the daily Carolinian (to Washington, DC, and New York) bring the total of trains serving the two cities daily to five. The current daily Piedmont and Carolinian schedule between Charlotte and Raleigh (NCDOT) The result was over 641,000 passengers utilized pa
Post a Comment
Read more

US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway

By
The communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway can all be found along US Route 101 within southern Humboldt County.  The former surface alignment of US Route 101 in Garberville and Redway once crossed the Garberville Bluffs along what is now Redwood Drive via a corridor constructed as part of the Redwood Highway during the 1910s.  US Route 101 through Benbow, Garberville and Redway was modernized by 1935.  US Route 101 would eventually be upgraded to freeway standards in Benbow, Garberville and Redway by extension of the Redwood Freeway during 1966-68.  As the cover photo the original grade of US Route 101 and the Redwood Highway can be seen at the Garberville Bluffs during 1934.  US Route 101 can be seen in the communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Humboldt County .   The history of US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway Benbow, Garberville and Redway lie on the banks of the South Fork Eel River of southern Humboldt County.  D
Post a Comment
Read more

The Midway Palm and Pine of US Route 99

By
Along modern day California State Route 99 south of Avenue 11 just outside the City limits of Madera one can find the Midway Palm and Pine in the center median of the freeway.  The Midway Palm and Pine denotes the halfway point between the Mexican Border and Oregon State Line on what was US Route 99.  The Midway Palm is intended to represent Southern California whereas the Midway Pine is intended to represent Northern California.  Pictured above the Midway Palm and Pine can be seen from the northbound lanes of the California State Route 99 Freeway.   This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page The history of the Midway Palm and Pine The true timeframe for when the Midway Palm and Pine (originally a Deadora Cedar Tree) were planted is unknown.  In fact, the origin of the Midway Palm and Pine w
Post a Comment
Read more