Discover and Celebrate the Bliss of Asheville and Western North Carolina's National Parks and Forests

One of the major reasons that Asheville is so blissful is that it manages to combine the charm of a small city with an abundance of culture and amenities with being ten minutes away from the wilderness that surrounds it via Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway -- a Parkway which terminates in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, which is considered to be one of America's most beloved national parks.

Great Smoky Mountain
National Park

Great Smoky Mountain National Park
"... Ridge upon ridge of forest straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. World renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, this is America’s most visited national park...."

Great Smoky Mountain Free eCards

A Virtual Tour of Waterfalls in WNC's National Forests

Free Podcast from Smoky Mountain National Park

• the John Oliver Cabin, which was the first permanent dwelling in Cades Cove, built in 1823
• the Primitive Baptist Church, built in 1887; “Primitive” here means an attempt to get back the original meaning of Scriptures
• the Becky Cable House, a two-story frame house; nearby the house is a grist mill, and surrounding this are a barn, a carriage house, and more farm structures
• the Tipton Place includes many of the same types of structures found at the Cable House; the double-cantilever barn is something special

North Carolina National Forests

The Official Site of North Carolina National Forests

Uwharrie National Forest
"... is named for the Uwharrie Mountains, some of the oldest in North America. According to geologists, the Uwharries were created from an ancient chain of volcanoes. The 1,000-foot hills of today were once 20,000-foot peaks... Their legacy is one of the greatest concentrations of archeological sites in the Southeast. Left undisturbed, these sites and artifacts give a record of our heritage. The first large gold discovery in the United States occurred around 1799 at the nearby Reed Gold Mine. In the early 1800's gold was found in the Uwharries, with a later boom during the depression of the 1930's. Old mining sites still remain, and part-time prospectors still pan in the streams and find traces of gold dust...."

Recreational panning for gold is allowed on most of the Uwharrie National Forest. Stream-bed (placer) gold, in most cases, does not exist in sufficient quantities to constitute economically recoverable deposits. No fee or permit is required as long as only shovel and pan techniques are used and no significant stream disturbance results, but one should check with the Uwharrie Ranger Station.  Sluice or "shaker" boxes are allowed, but no mechanized or motorized equipment, such as suction dredges are allowed. 

Activites include: Camping, Gold panning and Rock hounding Opportunities, Water Recreation, Fishing, Hunting, Hiking Trails, Off-Road-Vehicle Trails & Tips, Wood Run Mountain Bike Trail System, Horse Trails and Camping