Overlook Description
"The peak of Mount Pisgah, once part of the Biltmore Estate, can be reached by a winding trail from the parking area. The estate became home of the first U.S. forestry school, as well as the heart of the Pisgah National Forest.
Near by at milepost 408.6 is Mount Pisgah.
In the late 1800s industrialist George Washington Vanderbilt, while building his grand Biltmore Estate in Asheville, purchased Mount Pisgah and thousands of surrounding acres for a private hunting retreat for family and friends. The nearby 16-mile Shut-In Trail (a National Recreation Trail) is part of a longer route that Vanderbilt originally created for his hunting parties.
Today the area adjoining the Parkway is part of the Pisgah National Forest and is still playing host to nature enthusiasts. Equipped with lodge, restaurant, campground and more, Mount Pisgah has the distinction of having by far the highest elevation of any developed area along the Parkway. Be aware of rapidly changing weather conditions.
The recreation area is the one area on the Parkway frequented by the black bear and visitors are advised to watch for them. Elk and buffalo were gone by 1800; beaver disappeared by 1900. The mountain lion, or panther, is thought to have disappeared by 1920."
To get to the Parkway and Mount Pisgah coming from the cabin you would take the driveway (Little Stoney Fork) and at the bottom make a right. You will then be on Black Oak Cove Rd. At about 1/2 mile it ends at Hwy 151, (otherwise known as Pisgah Highway). Make a left at the stop sign and go about 4 miles up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Once there you will make a right and in a few miles you will see a sign for the Mt. Pisgah trailhead. If you want to dine out just keep going about a mile past that (maybe less) to the Pisgah Inn. You'll be driving through the Pisgah National Forest as soon as you leave the driveway. The cabin sits on private land but is surrounded by Forest Service Land. You'll feel like you're at the Parkway the whole way up. It takes only a few minutes to drive it but a few hours to hike it. It is straight up and winding but very wild and natural. You'll even pass a lovely little water fall on your way. My neighbor and I had "trained" with our dogs for weeks to hike up to the top of 151 and back and finally one very rainy day we decided to "just do it". We were ecstatic at our accomplishment! To celebrate we came back and got a vehicle and drove back up to have lunch at the Inn. What fun I had living there and you'll have loads of fun too!
