The Pisgah National Forest occupies a huge amount of mountainous land above and below Ashville, North Carolina. We chose to go there without doing our normal due diligence due to quick pandemic-based schedule adjustments. We knew there was decent hiking and that it was far enough south to be warm, but we had no idea just how great it is. The area we stayed in is known as the Ranger District and is about 30 miles south of Ashville. The name of our campground was “Land of Waterfalls RV Park” and we still didn’t really get why until we arrived. The number, variety, and beauty of waterfalls in the area is remarkable. In addition to the National Forest, there are several outstanding NC state parks nearby.
The visit started out a bit shaky as the day after we arrived, the remnants of hurricane Zeta came right over the top of us. Although it wasn’t as bad as predicted, it did drop several inches of rain on the area and many streams and rivers overflowed. It worked out okay for us as we were up high enough to avoid any flooding, able to get around any blocked roads, and the streams and waterfalls were engorged all week. This made for a number of memorable hikes with great views in both Pisgah NF and Dupont SP.
A few other things that are well worth seeing if you visit:
Blue Ridge Parkway – this road follows the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains from Tennessee to Shenandoah NP in Virginia. You can see great vistas both east and west by just driving a 10 or 20 miles small stretch.
Breweries – the Ashville area is famous for them and there are many within 20 miles of Pisgah Forest. We stopped at Oscar Blues, Ecusta, Burning Blush, and Sierra Nevada. The first 3 had social-distanced-outside-seating. Sadly, Sierra Nevada was take-out only. Oscar Blues and Burning Blush were excellent, at least according to my “IPA palate”. Suzanne approved as well.
Brevard – this is a cool mountain town with shops, good restaurants, and a brewery. We would have spent time there if it weren’t for COVID.
Cradle of Forestry in America – home of the first forestry school in the US. It was started just over a 100 years ago and many of the original buildings stand as they did in the 1st half of the 20th century. There is also many outdoor displays of antique lumbering machines. It’s kept and displayed beautifully just outside the Ranger District park.
