From “Chasing Waterfalls” to Maggie Valley via the Blue Ridge Parkway
We spent the week of May 14th on vacation in Virginia and North Carolina. I have been uploading blog posts about our vacation since May 29th. This blog post continues our fourth day of vacation.
When we finished chasing waterfalls, we continued on Route 276 to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We rode south to the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping at a few overlooks along the way, before making our way back to Maggie Valley.
The first overlook that we stopped at was Looking Glass Rock (mile marker 417).
Looking Glass Rock rises from the valley floor to an elevation of 3,969 feet.
We veered off of the Blue Ridge Parkway at mile marker 420.2, following Black Balsam Road for a short ways. There is parking along this road for Black Balsam Knob Area hiking trails. We didn’t go hiking, but we did enjoy the view from several overlooks. Here is the view from one of the overlooks.
Bob pointed out to me that we could see Looking Glass Rock
from this vantage point.
Our next stop was at Devils Courthouse (mile marker 422).
because of the sinister aspect of the rock formation.
Our last stop on the Blue Ridge Parkway was at Richland Balsam Overlook (mile marker 431).
Highest Elevation on the Blue Ridge Parkway
We exited the Blue Ridge Parkway at 4:50 pm and returned to A Holiday Motel, home base for the Southeast Vulcan Riders and Owners (SEVROC) motorcycle rally.
Around 5:30 pm we went to dinner at the Sagebrush Steakhouse in Waynesville. This was the second time in as many days that we ate dinner at the Sagebrush. The first time we were a party of five. This time we were a party of fifteen. The restaurant set a table for us in the back room. As it was the day before, the food was very good. The company was excellent. There was a lot of good-humored conversation going on around the table. The service seemed quicker than the previous day, especially given the larger party. Service was good, until it came time to pay. Similar to the day before, it took a while for the waitress to take care of the bills.
After dinner, we returned to A Holiday Motel. We socialized a bit with our VROC friends and then called it a night. We were in bed shortly before 11:00 pm.
The Beauty Around Us 
5 Responses to “From “Chasing Waterfalls” to Maggie Valley via the Blue Ridge Parkway”
We really enjoy this stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway. If you get back to that area and have the time, the views from the top of Devils Courthouse are amazing.
Hi Linda, you can count on the Blue Ridge Parkway to give you some fantastic views. Amazing photos and glad you and Bob had such a wonderful time on your vacation. Gregg told me you were now Facebook friends and am delighted. He can now share photos from there with me.
I love some of these views…
Hello, Linda! Gorgeous views from the Parkway! Sounds like a great vacation with your friends. Happy Thursday, have a great day
I do love the Blue Ridge Parkway!