Part 4 of our RV road trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway and other destinations.
Friday, Oct. 18
We’re once again southbound on the Parkway. Our first stop is the Museum of North Carolina Minerals; interesting for its geologic and human history lessons. A few more miles farther we stop at the trailhead for Crabtree Falls, a 3-mile loop that takes us to a pretty cascading falls. The leaves are just beginning to change color here in the higher elevations of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
After a few brief stops at roadside overlooks, we take a side trip into Mount Mitchell State Park, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River, elevation 6,684 feet. It’s not yet 9 a.m. and the parking lot is already crowded but we manage to find a spot for our smallish RV. We join throngs of people on the wide paved trail up to the summit tower. For our descent back to the parking lot we opt for an alternate route by hiking a narrow wooded trail, which is actually a segment of the Appalachian Trail. For us this is a much more enjoyable hike with only a handful of other hikers this crisp autumn morning.
Most of the area RV parks are full on this fall weekend but Mary manages to reserve the one remaining spot at Creekwood Farm RV Park near Waynesville, NC.
Saturday, Oct. 19
Today’s stops include lunch in Brevard, NC with friends from Illinois, followed by a tour of the Carl Sandburg National Historic Site.
We spend Saturday night at another BoondockersWelcome.com host location, this one near Traveler’s Rest, SC.
