| By Author | [ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Other Symbols ] |
| By Title | [ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Other Symbols ] |
| By Language |
|
Download this book: [ ASCII ] Look for this book on Amazon Tweet |
Title: Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia and North Carolina (1949)
Author: Anonymous
Language: English
As this book started as an ASCII text book there are no pictures available.
*** Start of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia and North Carolina (1949)" ***
_Blue Ridge_
PARKWAY
VIRGINIA • NORTH CAROLINA
[Illustration: DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR]
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, J. A. Krug, _Secretary_
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, Newton B. Drury, _Director_
Blue Ridge Parkway is a unit of the National Park System, which is
owned by the people of the United States and administered for them by
the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior.
CONTENTS
A Scene on the Parkway _Cover_
Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia-North Carolina 3
The Four Seasons 4
What to Do and Where 5-6
Mile Posts, Special Information, Entrances 7
Blue Ridge Parkway by Sections:
Shenandoah National Park—Roanoke, Va. 8-9
Roanoke, Va.—North Carolina State Line 10-11
Virginia State Line—Linville River, N. C. 12-13
Linville River—Great Smoky Mountains National Park 14-15
Regional Map _Back Cover_
REGULATIONS
Enforcement of regulations is a part of the Parkway rangers’ job, but
the rangers are eager also to help you enjoy your visit. A copy of the
regulations may be seen in the superintendent’s office. The regulations
are for your protection and for the protection of your property—The
Parkway.
While on the Blue Ridge Parkway please remember the following:
Fire is the forest’s greatest foe; build fires only in places provided,
and be cautious generally.
Drive carefully. Speed zones are posted. Not all the guard rail has been
built.
The Parkway is for passenger cars. Commercial vehicles may not be used
on it.
Park only in parking areas along the way—not on Parkway shoulders unless
in emergency.
The flowers, the game, the woods, the land, belong to everyone; please
be careful not to damage them.
Address inquiries to: Superintendent, Blue Ridge Parkway, P.O. Box 1710,
Roanoke, Va.
[Illustration: Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina.]
[Illustration: Fox Hunters Paradise Overlook, North Carolina.]
BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY
VIRGINIA—NORTH CAROLINA
Blue Ridge Parkway, high road through Virginia and North Carolina,
designed especially for the leisurely tourist, represents a new
conception in roads. It is not an express parkway of the type built
about the big cities, but a quiet way through a distinctive part of the
American scene—a road intended for gypsy-like travel on the ride-awhile,
stop-awhile basis.
You travel the Southern Highlands, a land of forested mountains,
exquisite during the flower of spring, cool in the green summer,
colorful in the red autumn. The stretches of woodland, the clustered
mountains, and the views out to the lowlands are enlivened by the fields
and pastures of highland farms, where split rail fences, weathered
cabins, and gray barns compose the “hill culture.”
Not all is completed of this scenic parkway, the first of its kind to be
developed by the Nation; but long portions are paved and were enjoyed by
more than a million visitors last year.
Among the national parks in the East are Shenandoah, in northern
Virginia, and Great Smoky Mountains, in North Carolina and Tennessee.
One of the purposes of the Parkway is to connect these wilderness areas
over a mountainous distance of nearly 500 miles. The Parkway, about
two-thirds completed, leads through an “elongated park” which protects a
roadside of varied highland character. The roadway slopes are
naturalistically planted in many places with rhododendron, azalea, white
pine, and other native species. Parking overlooks to the side are
convenient balconies. Along the Parkway at intervals are recreational
areas with picnic grounds, campgrounds, trailer sites, and hiking trails
which lead to exhibits of unspoiled nature and to spots of native folk
lore.
The Four Seasons
The four seasons are definite in the southern mountains, each with
qualities which set it apart. The Parkway motor road is open the year
round, but is not recommended for winter travel.
[Illustration: Native Flame Azalea.]
Spring is the favorite season of many in the Blue Ridge, for nowhere is
there a greater show of native flowers. In mid-April the shadblow
blooms, lacy white on the hillside; but the real procession starts in
early May,—pink azalea, dogwood, redbud. In mid-May the flame azalea
appears like fire through the undergrowth. Purple rhododendron, native
of certain areas in Virginia and prevalent in North Carolina south from
The Bluffs, are next to bloom (late May to mid-June). The
mountain-laurel is everywhere and breaks during June. The white to pink
rhododendron comes later in June and lingers well into July. There are
many spring and summer blooming shrubs and ground flowers in the wild
places along the Parkway. Among these is the galax,—glory ground cover
of the Southern Appalachians.
Summer in the Blue Ridge is a refuge from the warm temperatures, the
altitude accounting for as much as five degrees of coolness per thousand
feet. The eastern mountains, forest covered, are notable for their
summer greenery. The intermittent highland valleys are a changing color
pattern of growing corn, buckwheat, rye.
Autumn comes to the highlands later than you might think. The sumac,
gums, the famous southern sourwood, turn brilliant red early in October,
but are usually not joined by the colorful display of the hardwoods
until the last part of the month, even early November.
Winter sometimes comes suddenly to the Blue Ridge. Travel then becomes
uncertain at best. Ice storms, persistent fogs, and blustery winds make
it so. There are many times when the mountains are clear and beautiful,
but we advise local inquiry about travel conditions during the winter
months before venturing on to the Parkway.
What to Do and Where
Motoring.
Blue Ridge Parkway is meant to serve this American pleasure. In the
course of a motor trip along the Parkway, plans should include a stop at
one of the several recreational areas for a picnic lunch. Here comfort
stations and drinking water will be found from April 15 until the first
freeze, usually mid-October. In these areas we suggest a leg stretcher
along an easy trail, or there are short trails leading from many of the
parking overlooks to selected vantage points.
Picnicking.
Picnic areas, ideal for the family group, include parking spaces,
tables, fireplaces, drinking water, and refuse cans. These areas are
designated on the maps by the Parkway emblem.
Tourist Facilities.
Gas stations are being constructed at Rocky Knob, The Bluffs, and
Crabtree Meadows. The one at The Bluffs will be ready during the 1949
travel season. Others are located within a short distance of the Parkway
on the more important State highways.
At Cumberland Knob, Mile Post 219, there is a sandwich shop operated
during the travel season by National Park Concessions, Inc. This company
will also operate the coffee shop and lodge being built at The Bluffs,
but these facilities may not be available until well into the 1949
travel season.
At the Peaks of Otter, Mile Post 86, a sightseeing bus service is
offered by the Peaks of Otter, Inc., from the Parkway to the top of
Sharp Top, one of the famous twin Peaks of Otter. Sandwiches, soups, and
other like items are sold at the bus station during season.
Tourist facilities along the Parkway are being planned only where
accommodations are not reasonably convenient in the towns and cities
nearby. For information about accommodations and points of interest in
the Blue Ridge Parkway vicinity, write to the Virginia State Chamber of
Commerce, Richmond 19, Va., or the State News Bureau, Raleigh, N. C.
[Illustration: Picnic Grounds, Cumberland Knob, North Carolina.]
Camping.
At Rocky Knob in Virginia and The Bluffs in North Carolina are trailer
sites and campgrounds. There you will find tent platforms, fireplaces,
garbage receptacles, drinking water, and comfort stations. Camping
supplies are not available. Length of stay is not limited.
[Illustration: Highland Pastures, Rocky Knob, Virginia.]
Hiking.
Trail systems have been developed in the Parkway recreational areas. At
The Bluffs there are more than 20 miles of foot trails, and in each of
the other areas from 3 to 5 miles. Grades are easy and can be walked
comfortably.
Photography and Painting.
The Parkway opens to you a photogenic and paintable country. Flowers,
mountains, valleys, streams, wildlife, and the hill farms are fine
subjects.
Fishing.
This is trout country. Rainbow and brook trout haunt many streams up and
down the Parkway. State licenses are required. Outside the Parkway
boundary State laws apply. Within the Parkway boundary special
regulations, covering creel limit, bait, and season, prevail. The season
in North Carolina lasts from April 15 through August 31, and in Virginia
from April 20 through July 31.
Golfing, Swimming, Tennis.
Facilities for this type of active sport are not provided on the lands
of Blue Ridge Parkway, but the Parkway is a convenient way to reach
resort areas where there are fine mountain golf courses, tennis courts,
saddle horses, lakes, and swimming pools.
Several State areas and forests and portions of the national forests,
through which the Parkway winds, have many recreational developments
within easy reach of the Parkway.
The Mile Posts
[Illustration: Mile post]
Along paved sections of the Parkway you will observe numbered mile
posts. Zero marker is at Rockfish Gap just south of Shenandoah National
Park, and each mile is numbered progressively southwestward on the
Parkway. Thus each Parkway mile is identified by a specific number.
Special Information
[Illustration: Squirrel gun and powder horn]
Interpretive signs carrying the squirrel gun and powder horn symbol will
be found at various points along the Parkway where there is a legend,
old building, or place of scientific interest.
Entrances
[Illustration: Parkway emblem]
At the entrance to each of the recreational areas along the Parkway you
will find a large carved wooden sign bearing the Parkway emblem. This is
also the designation used on the maps herein to locate the recreational
areas now ready for use.
[Illustration: Elias Mabry Mill on the Parkway, Virginia.]
BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY
Shenandoah National Park—Roanoke, Virginia
North of the James River the Parkway winds through large sections of the
George Washington National Forest. This scenic route is very spectacular
where it crosses the high cliff sections of Humpback Mountain. Purple
rhododendron blooms here in early June. Through this region, too, are
glimpses of isolated mountain farm groups, as well as distant views to
the fertile “bread basket of the Confederacy” in the Shenandoah Valley
of Virginia.
The Parkway is paved from Rockfish Gap south for nearly 46 miles to U S
60. Three small bridges along this route are being constructed, but
traffic is maintained with little inconvenience to the traveler.
The Parkway section south of the James River to Roanoke features the
lowest point on Blue Ridge Parkway, 670 feet elevation, where it will
cross the river, and Thunder Ridge, where it climbs to almost 4,000
feet. South a few miles are the famed Peaks of Otter. This spectacular
section lies partly through the Jefferson National Forest.
The famous Appalachian Trail, making its way from Maine to Georgia,
touches the Parkway at several points. For detailed information, write
the Appalachian Trail Conference, 1916 Sunderland Place, NW., Washington
6, D. C.
Shenandoah National Park conserves a large section of the Virginia Blue
Ridge (74 miles southwest of Washington, D. C.). Well known for the
Skyline Drive, a road wholly within that park but connecting with the
Blue Ridge Parkway at Rockfish Gap, Shenandoah also has many miles of
developed foot trails and varied tourist accommodations. For complete
information, address Superintendent, Shenandoah National Park, Luray,
Va.
_Mile Post_ _Elevation_
0 Rockfish Gap-Junction Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline 1,909
Drive of Shenandoah National Park.
6 Humpback Rocks, craggy rock outcropping. Foot trail 3,210
from parking area to the Rocks.
15 Sherando Lake (George Washington National Forest). 1,500
Swimming, fishing, picnicking. Turn on VA-814 for 3½
miles.
27 Tye River Gap 2,969
45.6 U S 60 crossing. Parkway grade dead-ends 7 miles 2,312
south.
63.7 Junction U S 501 and Parkway section southward 670
74.7 Thunder Ridge Parking Area. One minute walk to superb 3,485
view of Arnolds Valley.
76.7 High point on the Parkway in Virginia. Apple Orchard 3,950
Mountain (El. 4,229). Forest Service fire tower.
80 Purple rhododendron blooms early June.
83.8 Wilkinson Gap. Foot trail to summit Flat Top Mountain 2,511
takes 1¾ hours. Trail down south side of mountain to
vicinity Big Spring on VA-43 (1 mile off Parkway)
takes 1 hour.
86 {Recreational area} Peaks of Otter. Sharp Top (El.
3,875). Flat Top (El. 4,001). Recreational area under
development. Sightseeing bus trips to top of Sharp
Top; sandwiches, soups, drinks, sold at bus station.
VA-43 to Bedford.
90 VA-43 to Buchanan. Parkway closed to south. ROANOKE 1,000
(Magic City). Western Virginia’s largest city.
Population 100,000. Parkway headquarters.
[Illustration: BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY
SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK TO ROANOKE, VA.
PKY-B. R. 7005-1]
BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY
Roanoke, Va.—North Carolina State Line
From Adney Gap (19 miles south of Roanoke by way of U S 221) the Parkway
is paved south to the State Line and beyond to Deep Gap near Boone and
Blowing Rock. This section of Parkway through lower Virginia is notable
for its pictures of mountain farming. The Blue Ridge here is a high
rolling plateau which breaks in a sharp escarpment toward the east and
the lower Piedmont. The Parkway generally follows the crest, which is
the water divide between Atlantic and Gulf drainage, affording
occasional fine views over the low country. In other places the Parkway
recedes into wooded and pastoral valleys of quiet charm.
_Mile Post_ _Elevation_
136 Adney Gap. Terminus 140 mile paved section to Deep 2,690
Gap, N. C.
144 Devil’s Backbone Parking Overlook. Fine view over 2,685
farming region.
144.8 Pine Spur Parking Overlook. Named for the white pine 2,703
which is the tree depicted on Parkway emblem.
150 Magnificent flame azalea; blooms mid-May.
154.5 {Recreational area} Smart View, 500 acres, hiking 2,500
trails, large picnic grounds, comfort stations,
drinking water. The cabin home of T. T. Trail,
immediately adjacent entrance road, is picturesque.
Rim trail in this area is part of Appalachian Trail
system. Smart View is center of Parkway’s dogwood
bloom in early May.
164 Fine azalea show. Also mountain-laurel in late May.
165.2 Tuggles Gap. VA-8, turn-off for Fairy Stone State 2,752
Park 16 miles. Swimming, boating, picnicking.
167 to {Recreational area} Rocky Knob, 4,000 acres. 3,225
170 Picnicking, camping, trailer sites, hiking, comfort
stations, drinking water, fishing 5 miles of Rock
Castle Creek. Foot trail from Saddle Parking Overlook
(Mile 168) to summit of Rocky Knob (El. 3,570) takes
10 minutes, continues along rim to Grassy Knoll (Mile
170). Fine for flame azalea late in May.
176.1 Mabry Mill, grist and sawmill, wheelwright and 2,855
blacksmith shops, illustrating typical mountain
“industrial plant,” fascinating and ingenious.
Buildings will later be opened for inspection.
177.7 Meadows of Dan. U S 58 longest east-west road across 2,964
Virginia. Inquire locally about Lovers Leap and the
Pinnacles of Dan.
189.2 Groundhog Mountain Parking Overlook, high point 3,030
affording 360° view. Observation tower, simulating
old tobacco barn. Examples of various types of old
chestnut rail fences, such as snake, post and rail,
and buck.
189.9 Puckett Cabin, home of Arlena Hawks Puckett, storied 2,850
midwife of the local hills.
199.5 Fancy Gap. U S 52, where local products, such as 2,920
cabbage, are gathered to be trucked down the
mountains.
[Illustration: BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY
ROANOKE VA. TO N. C. STATE LINE
PKY-B. R. 7005-2]
BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY
Virginia State Line—Linville River
The northerly 60 miles shown finished on the map facing this page, like
the section north toward Roanoke, thread a country remarkable for its
mountain fields and pastures; but the country is more rugged, the Blue
Ridge becoming more defined and higher. It is completed as to
landscaping between the State Line and The Bluffs. A sandwich shop is
open at Cumberland Knob.
Sixty miles of Parkway are available southward from Linville. From Deep
Gap, near Boone, it is not far to Blowing Rock and Linville, resort
towns at the edge of Grandfather Mountain. This “patriarch,” elevation
5,939 feet, is one of the oldest, shaggiest mountains of the
Appalachians. The road across Grandfather, U S 221, is known as the
Black Bear Trail (Yonahlossee in the language of the Cherokee).
_Mile Post_ _Elevation_
216.9 North Carolina-Virginia State Line 2,547
217.5 {Recreational area} Cumberland Knob, 1,000 acres, 2,740
sandwich shop (sandwiches, drinks, soups, picnic box
lunches), picnic area, comfort stations, drinking
water. 15-minute loop trail to Cumberland Knob (El.
2,855). Loop trail into Gully Creek Gorge, 2 hours.
218.6 Fox Hunters Paradise Overlook and Parking Area. 10 2,805
minutes by trail to the Paradise, where old-time
hunters listened to their hounds.
219 Fine display of pink azalea; blooms early May. Flame
azalea blooms mid-May.
228 Fine beds of pink azalea; blooms early May. This
section also fine for mountain-laurel in early June.
238 to {Recreational area} The Bluffs, 6,000 acres—picnic 3,710
245 grounds (Mile 241), campgrounds (Mile 239), trailer
sites, comfort stations, drinking water, 20 miles of
trail. This area affords fine examples of bluegrass
downs, terminating in precipitous bluffs. Purple
rhododendron in meadows and on trails late May. At
Mile 238.5 is the picturesque Carolyn Brinegar Cabin.
Be sure to visit Wildcat Rocks (Mile 241.1), from
which you may look down 1,500 feet upon what was once
the homestead of the Caudill family, dramatic exhibit
of isolated mountain life. 10-minute trail to
Fodderstack Mountain. Gas station and coffee shop
open.
271.9 Cascades Parking Overlook. Woodland trail along a 3,570
mountain stream to cascades tumbling several hundred
feet. Delightful 8-minute walk.
276.5 Deep Gap. Between Deep Gap and Beacon Heights there 3,140
are good connecting paved roads. The Parkway between
Mile Posts 282 and 292 will be paved during 1949.
304.9 Beacon Heights. Make inquiry at Linville or Blowing 3,140
Rock for entrance to Daniel Boone Boy Scout Trail
over the seven peaks of Grandfather Mountain for
which the larger part of a day must be allowed.
308.2 Flat Rock Parking Area. 10-minute trail to superb 3,995
prospect of Linville Valley and Grandfather Mountain.
Easy climb and most worth while.
316.4 Linville River Parking Area. Here is one of the 3,250
Parkway’s largest stone arch bridges, three spans of
80 feet each. Fishing in Linville River under State
laws.
[Illustration: BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY
VA. STATE LINE TO LINVILLE RIVER
PKY-B. R. 7005-3]
BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY
Linville River—Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Parkway between Linville Falls and Asheville traverses one of the
great mountain sections of North Carolina where the Blue Ridge, the
Blacks, and the Craggy Mountains merge. Mount Mitchell, 6,684 feet in
elevation, and the highest peak in the East, is prominent from the
Parkway. The large holdings of the Mitchell Division of the Forest
Service and the Asheville Watershed have protected the area from
despoliation.
_Mile Post_ _Elevation_
320.7 Chestoa View offers an unusually fine view from one 4,110
of the many vertical cliffs on Humpback Mountain.
339.5 {Recreational area} Crabtree Meadows, 160 acres lying 3,735
within the Pisgah National Forest and now partially
developed. Hiking, picnicking, and comfort stations
available. The 40-minute walk to Crabtree Falls is
not to be missed.
355.4 Swannanoa Gap, Mount Mitchell State Park. 4.8 miles 5,185
on spur road. South to Mile Post 367.5 the Parkway is
under contract to be completed early in summer of
1949 when this spectacular section will be opened to
traffic. Make local inquiry. Paving of the Parkway
through the Craggy Mountains is scheduled for 1950,
and over the crushed stone surface special care in
driving should be exercised.
367.5 Bee Tree Gap, turn off for Craggy Rhododendron 4,769
Gardens. Forest Service development. The peak of the
rhododendron bloom is in mid-June. Make inquiries in
Asheville for highway connection to Parkway from the
city. ASHEVILLE, a leading city in the South.
Population, 50,000.
407 Mount Pisgah. The Forest Service Pisgah motor road,
Cutthroat Gap to Wagon Road Gap, is still open, and 5
miles of Parkway, graded with loose gravel, extend
beyond Wagon Road Gap and are available for a
“preview.”
468 The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where the
Parkway will one day terminate, is located equally in
North Carolina and Tennessee. Its 460,000 acres of
mountainous wilds may be viewed from paved roads and
many wilderness trails. Tourist accommodations are in
nearby towns. Inquire Superintendent, Great Smoky
Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, Tenn.
[Illustration: Parkway through Devils Garden, North Carolina.]
[Illustration: BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY
LINVILLE RIVER TO GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
PKY-B. R. 7005-4]
[Illustration: BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY
VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA
PKY-B. R. 7005]
MILEAGE TABLE
MILEAGE VIA PARKWAY
SHENANDOAH ROANOKE VA. ASHEVILLE GREAT SMOKY
N.P. N.C. MTNS. N.P.
NEW YORK N.Y. 301 513 803 859
WASHINGTON D.C. 74 286 576 632
ATLANTA GA. 605 498 208 172
COLUMBIA S.C. 397 290 162 218
BIRMINGHAM ALA. 761 654 364 309
NASHVILLE TENN. 717 610 320 233
LOUISVILLE KY. 497 470 348 331
INDIANAPOLIS IND. 524 497 483 447
PITTSBURGH PA. 208 317 607 663
HARRISBURG PA. 135 347 637 693
COLUMBUS OHIO 416 389 467 465
Revised 1949
U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1949 D-F—827633
UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
North Caroline—Tennessee
THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
The Appalachian Trail follows the North Carolina-Tennessee State Line,
along the crest of the Smokies, for a total distance of approximately 70
miles in this park, from its eastern terminus at Davenport Gap to its
Western terminus at Deals Gap. The trans-mountain highway (Tenn. No. 71,
N. C. No. 107) intersects this trail at its approximate half-way point
at Newfound Gap.
The eastern section of the trail is a graded four-foot standard horse
trail. The western section is an ungraded, brushed-out, foot trail,
rather rough in places. It is marked with white blazes on trees; across
the mountain meadows (“balds”) prominent boulders are marked with white
paint.
A new cut-off trail has been marked and brushed out leaving the state
line near Doe Knob and proceeding southward to Fontana Village by way of
Twentymile Ridge, Sassafras Gap, and Shuckstack. This trail is very
steep between Shuckstack and Fontana.
Trailside shelters are located at approximate nine-mile intervals along
this trail, at Cosby Knob, Tri-Corner Knob, Hughes Ridge, Ice-Water
Spring on Ft. Kephart, Little Indian Gap, Silers Bald, Spence Field, and
Moore Spring on Gregory Bald. These shelters are log and pole frame,
enclosed on three sides with one large opening on the front, long side.
In each shelter is a bunk made of a wooden frame with heavy wire screen
for the springs, raised off the ground about two feet; this should
accommodate six persons. Each shelter has a fireplace, water supply,
garbage pit, pit latrine, hitching rack, and watering trough for horses.
There are no means for heating the shelters; a fireplace is located
outside the roof line of the building.
In addition to these shelters, camping places along the trail have been
designated at approximately nine-tenths mile from Davenport Gap, and at
the Halls Cabin site between Silers Bald and Thunderhead, and at
Sassafras Gap, just north of Shuckstack on the State Line-Fontana
Village cut-off.
Camping or fire-building is permitted along this trail only at the
trailside shelters and designated camping sites except when some
unforeseen emergency may arise, and the stay at any one shelter is
limited to one night only unless inclement weather prevents the
resumption of the trip. A camping permit is required for camping along
this trail. Such a permit may be obtained from any of the rangers or
wardens or upon application to the office of the Superintendent, Great
Smokey Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Because of the scarcity of fuel at the shelters, hikers are advised to
carry primus-type stoves.
All who use any park trail are urged to be extremely careful with fire
and to completely extinguish all fires before leaving them. SMOKERS, BE
CAREFUL!
LODGING AND CAMPING FACILITIES
There are no Government-operated cabins nor lodging accommodations in
the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Under the policy approved by
the Secretary of the Interior, tourist facilities within the boundaries
of this park are limited to automobile campgrounds and picnic areas.
Cabins and lodging accommodations may be obtained in any of the towns
surrounding the park, and such information may be obtained from the
Chambers of Commerce of such cities. The only accommodations inside the
park are LeConte Lodge on the summit of Mt. LeConte, accessible only by
foot or horseback, and Wonderland Club Hotel, Elkmont, Tennessee. These
are operated under permit from the National Park Service. Information
regarding these may be obtained by writing direct to LeConte Lodge,
Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and the Wonderland Club Hotel, Elkmont,
Tennessee.
There are at present two permanent public campgrounds in the park—the
Chimneys campground located about seven and a half miles from
Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and the Smokemont campground located about four
miles from the Oconaluftee Ranger Station in North Carolina. These
campgrounds are furnished with water supply, fireplaces, tables and
benches, comfort stations, and tent and trailer spaces. Campers must
bring their own tent or trailer and other camping equipment.
There are also meagerly furnished temporary primitive campgrounds
located in Cosby, Greenbrier, Elkmont, Walkers Valley, Cades Cove, Happy
Valley, and Bunny Branch on the Tennessee side, and about the mouth of
Lost Cove on Eagle Creek, at the old ball grounds at Proctor and at the
confluence of Bone Valley and Hazel Creeks in Hazel Creek, at the head
of the bay on Forney Creek and four miles up Forney Creek at the warden
station, and on Noland Creek, and Deep Creek Straight Fork, Cataloochee,
and Big Creek on the North Carolina side.
The campgrounds are open the year round, but during freezing weather the
water is cut off and the comfort stations closed. Caretaker services are
provided in the Chimneys and Smokemont campgrounds from about the middle
of May until October. The campgrounds are operated on a
first-come-first-served basis and reservations are not taken for camping
space.
No special permit is required for camping at any of the designated
campgrounds in the park, but a camping permit is required for camping
elsewhere in the park. Such a permit may be obtained from any of the
rangers or wardens or upon application to the office of the
Superintendent, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg,
Tennessee.
Transcriber’s Notes
—Silently corrected a few typos.
—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook
is public-domain in the country of publication.
—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by
_underscores_.
—Where the printed edition included an inline icon, for the text
versions only, included icon meaning in {braces}.
*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia and North Carolina (1949)" ***
Copyright 2023 LibraryBlog. All rights reserved.