Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1937-07-07

at it's intersection with State High
way No. 1O4 due to the fact that the
two tunnels and one bridge on this
sector have not been completed al
though the grading of most of the
route between the tunnels and the
bridge have been finished. One of the
tunnels is 200 feet long while the 9TH
err will be- 400 feet long. A bridge 100
feet long will span a chasm on the
side of Big Laurel mountain regard
ed as too deep to try to fill.
More people would visit those sec
tions of the parkway which are pass
able and would hike along other por-
lions of K, # they knew how to get
to them. at present, about the only
people who are visiting this parti-
cular section of the parkway are
those who know of the National For
est Service roads, one leading up to
Big Laurel Gap from Old Fort, on
Route 70, a few miles east of Old Fort
or who know how to reach the gap
from Route 104, where the forest SER
vice road leaves Route 104 just above
Busick, leading to and through the
Mount Mitchell State Game Refuge
and fish hatchery. This route is bet
ter known than the other, since the
game refuge is being visited by thous-
ands of people each summer, although
only a small percentage of these go
on to the top of the gap where the
forest road intersects the parkway.
For those who enjoy rugged noun
tain scenery and difficult mountain
driving. there is no finer drive in the
state right now than that from Mar
ion to the Mount Mitchell Game Re
ruge. To get from Marion to the re-
fuge, it is necessary to turn off Route
20 four miles west of Marion onto
Route 1O4, and then follow this route
up Buck Creek past Lake Tahoma,
the CCC camp and on up to Buck
Creek Gap. There are plenty of hair
pin curves, S-curves, switch-backs and
everything else to cause thrills to
chase themselves up and down the
spines of those who are inclined to
squirm at mountain driving. But the
scenery and the view from the gap,
once it has been reached, is worth all
the effort and gasoline required to
get up the side of the mountain. AT
the gap, the parkway cuts off to the
left and climbs still higher along the
side of the mountain to the places
where the tunnels are now being Dor
ed through the solid rock walls where
it was found to be cheaper to, bore
tunnels than to blast cut through it..
But to get to Big Laurel Gap and
the portion of the parkway on which
it is now possible to drive over for
several miles-if it is not raining-it
is necessary to go down the other side
of the gap for several miles to Blu
sick, and to the point where the for
est service road turns off to the left
to go to the Mount Mitchell Game Re
fuge, and are of some $1,000 acres
leased by the State Department of
Conservation and Development from
the National Forest Service as q
haven for wild game. The point where
the roads intersect is marked by a
large arrow and sign pointing to the
game refuge. This road has recently
been widened by the National Park
Service and is kept in excellent con-
dition. It will soon be surfaced with
crushed stone. 1t is about three miles
from Route 104 to the game refuge,
with it's many pens of bears, wild
cats, raccoons, pheasants, foxes and
other wild animals which live in that