The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1955-05-06
BLUE RIDGE PARK
NOW AT ITS BEST
IN WESTERN N. G,

The season for the Blue Ridge
Parkway got into full swing May
1. The two sections of the road
opened April Is and there is now
through traffic on the Parkway
all the way from Rockfish Gar in
Virginia to Asheville in North
Carolina.
Most of the camp and picnic
facilities were open on May 1.
There are many beautiful areas
along the Parkway where visitors
may stop, picnic and rest. Peaks
of Otter, 1000 acres in all, located
on milepost Sc, has fine picnic
area, trails, comfort station, and
concession stand. The trailer and
camping areas here will be open
July 1. Smart View, 500 acres,
located on milepost 1914 has a
picnic area, trail comfort stations
and picturesque trail cabin. 1t
got its name from the language
of the mountaineer to which
"smart" meant especially good.
Smart View is the center of the
Pathways dogwood. bloom in
early May.
Rocky Knob, 1000 acres, on
milepost 1863, has a picnic area,
campground and trailer areas.
There are housekeeping cabins
here and a gasoline station. Mag
nificent white rhodendron blooms
in this area during early July.
Cumberland Knob, 1000 acres
has fine picnic area, trails, COM
fort stations and sandwich shop.
Galax grows profusely here, the
beautiful ground cover of the
galax is processed and widely
used in floral decorations.
Doughton Park, 5000 acres, is
high rolling bluegrass pasture
land terminating in precipitous
bluffs. Bluff lodge is located here,
with coffee shop, gasoline sta
ton, picnic, camping and trailer
areas. Doughton Park is on mile
post 241.
The Moses H. Gone Memorial
Park, $500 acres was the summer
estate Of Moses H. Cone of
Greensboro, the "Blue Denim
King" The Parkway Craft Center
features handicrafts of the Blue
Ridge section. The Cone Memorial
Park is located near milepost 280
and has horse and carriage trails,
and fishing.
The Julian Price Memorial
Park, 1000 acres, is undeveloped.
However, there are excellent trout
fishing streams in the area. Lin
vile Falls 535 acres is also I'M
developed except for trails to falls.
Linville River twists and plunges
$50 feet, 80 in sheer cascade to
form the falls, an outstanding
scenic attraction donated to the
National Park Service by John D.
Rockefeller, Jr., The Gorge is IL
miles long, nearly two across.
Grandfather Mountain, nearby, is
one of the oldest and shaggiest in
the world. There is a picnicking
area on Grandfather open to visit
ors. A small charge is made to
drive to the top of the mountain
from which one views one of the
most spectacular mountain vistas
in the wnole of the East.
At Crabtree Meadows, on mile
post 1895, there are camp and
trailer areas, a picnic ground,
comfort stations and a gasoline
station.
Craggy Gardens, 675 acres, is
truely spectacular with it's massed
bloom of native purple rhododen-
dron in mid-June. The mountains
in this section between Buck
Creek Gap and Asheville are high :
in elevation and jumbled, reaching
their greatest height in the Black
Mountain Range at Mount Nit
chell. The Parkway leaves the
Blue Ridge at Black Mountain
Gap, and follows sthe Blacks and
Great Craggies, then drops down
toward Asheville.