There’s nothing quite like the stunning and breathtaking views this time of year from the Blue Ridge Parkway, in Western North Carolina. Packed with many overlooks, trails and waterfalls, it’s a nature lovers dream! With the leaf color change in full swing, it’s hard to pick just one trail to take in all of this magnificent scenery. For our adventure, we decided to explore the Sam Knob Summit Trail.
Sam Knob is a towering mountain, that reaches an elevation of just over 6000 feet and offers some incredible panoramic views of other nearby summits. Some of these peaks include Black Balsam Knob, the Devil’s Courthouse, as well as peaks of the Shining Rock Wilderness.
The trailhead begins at the end of Black Balsam Knob Road, which is located at milepost 420, off the Parkway. The parking area is not very large, but there is ample parking along the road. The trail itself will begin to the right of the restrooms. Just look for the sign.
The hike is a 2.5 mile out and back trail and has an elevation gain of close to 500 ft. There’s plenty of beauty to take in along the way.
It starts out along a gravel road, that runs beside a stand of beautiful red spruce trees. As the trail continues it opens to a glade, that I can only imagine hosts a plethora of wildflowers, in earlier parts of the year. After passing through a mixed forest of hardwoods and blueberry bushes, the trail will start to bend left and descend. It’s at this point, you first get a glimpse of Sam Knob in the distance.
Continuing down the path, you will come across a set of boardwalk type steps, that lead down to a very large scenic meadow, with Sam Knob towering directly behind. Once reaching the base of the mountain, the more challenging part of the hike begins.
The hike up is tricky, but manageable. There are several tight switchbacks, along the way, that lead through the mostly mixed hardwood forest. On the way to the peak, we passed lots of scraggly trees, rhododendron bushes, mountain laurel and plenty of lush vegetation growing along some of the rock outcrops.
There are several excellent viewpoints from the trail, but nothing compares to the view from the summit. Once at the top there are two high knobs, both of which give unimaginable panoramic views. There is a large outcropping of white quartz, as well as a grassy meadow, to sit down and take in all the breathtaking views. It’s from here you can really see the leaf color change in full swing as you’ll see in the photos below.
Along with the Sam Knob Summit Trail, we made several stops along the Blue Ridge Parkway to take in the amazing landscape mountain views. There’s always plenty of beauty in the North Carolina mountains, but this time of year is always special. The crisp autumn air, and the vibrant color of the leaves changing, make for a unique experience.
It was hard to choose what pictures to share because we took so many, but I do hope you enjoy the ones below. Please be sure to check out my Photo Collections while you’re here and feel free to contact Life’s Precious Dance, if you have any photo requests. Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to sharing another adventure soon. Have a great day!
