Early the next morning we drove out of the campground to the visitor center to take an easy 1-mile hike to Linville Falls.
We saw several small falls.
After, we continued south on the Parkway.
Stopping at several overlooks.
At one stop this dead tree caught my eye.
These are the kind of views you come upon while driving. Very hard to keep your eyes on the road.
We pulled over to see this waterfall in the distance.
I zoomed in for a closer shot.
On this stretch of the road we went through several tunnels.
We pulled into the Museum of North Carolina Minerals, but it was closed. We drove around Crabtree Falls, but the campground was closed. We pulled into Glassmine Falls overlook (it was open! Yea!) for lunch, then took a short walk to view the distant falls. It started out easy.
The trail grew rockier.
We got beyond the rocky stretch.
The trail broke out into an open stretch.
Which provided scenic views.
Then it was back into the trees.
To a very disappointing dry falls.
Anyway, it was still a nice hike. We drove on to the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center.
Which provided some nice overlooks.
We continued south on the Parkway on a very scenic stretch, perhaps the best yet. We turned off the Parkway into Asheville for gas and groceries, then hopped right back on. North and south of Asheville the traffic was heavy, but as we continued south away from the city it got lighter. There were a lot of tunnels on this stretch, several long ones. We pulled over for several more overlooks, then turned into Mt. Pisgah Campground at MM408. We got a site, and after dinner walked around the campground.
Next American Location: Driving off the Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina
From the North Rim 