An Amazing Place: Bent Creek Experimental Forest.

If you love to hike and or mountain bike then this is the place for you. It is very easily accessible no matter what the weather and very easy to get to from Treetop Mountain Vista. The cabin will have a brochure with trails and lots of information about the area. There are 26 trails and connectors in the Bent Creek area and they are all labeled as to use. All are suitable for hiking and 23 can be used for biking. The map gives the miles, rating and color of blaze. Most of them are very short, but many of the trails inter-connect so you can plot your own course for the length desired. There are a few over 3 miles and a segment of the famous Shut-in Trail shown on the map is 13.9 miles. (The Shut-In Trail is mentioned in another post on this blog; "Winter Hiking"). The entrance to this area is accessed right before the NC. Arboretum (highlighted in a post of its' own on this blog)on Hwy 191. For more information about the Bent Creek Experimental Forest phone: 828-667-5261 or check out their web site by clicking on the title of this post above.

The North Carolina Arboretum

While visiting Asheville you simply must check out The North Carolina Arboretum. No matter what you came to the area for, you can get it all right here. The Arboretum has hiking and biking trails. A magnificent bonsai collection, numerous gardens, art exhibits, classes and too many other projects and items to mention here. Just go on their web site and be blown away with the pictures and raft of information. They also have a cafe and gift store. To get directions from Treetop Mountain Vista just use Google or Mapquest and put in starting point : 40 Little Stoney Fork, Candler, NC 28715 and destination : North Carolina Arboretum, Asheville . Depending on which search you use you will get directions using the Parkway (mapquest) or main hwys (google). Their web site also gives directions. There is a small parking fee of $6 per motor vehicle.

Mount Pisgah

Why is Mount Pisgah important to guests staying at the cabin? Because you have a birds eye view of one of the highest and most famous mountain peaks in Western North Carolina. Perhaps even in the Eastern United States. Mount Pisgah is only a 15 minute drive from the cabin. And for those who are very hearty and used to hiking difficult (as in steep) trails, the Mount Pisgah trail offers a wonderful challenge. I've hiked it a few times myself, but not recently :-) The view from the top is awesome. For a hearty meal while you're up there, just drive a little further to the Pisgah Inn. They serve 3 meals a day but close briefly in between meals. For more information about the Mount Pisgah hike and other "best hikes" in the area just click on the link provided. Here's what one web site had to say about Mount Pisgah:

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!

The View~Beauty in the Clouds

I've asked myself many times..."just what makes the view up here so great? What is so special about it anyway"? I've come to understand, it is because up here, whether sitting on the deck or relaxing in the living/bed room, you feel like you're one with the view. Maybe it's because the cabin sits high on the land and the land is high up on the side of Buzzard Knob, but I always feel as though I'm in the trees, looking out at more trees and even more trees and then the majestic Mount Pisgah. If I pay attention, I can just barely see cars parked at one of the scenic turnouts on the Blue Ridge Parkway. At night in the winter, I'd often watch lonely car lights snake their way up Hwy 151 off in the distance, heading straight up to the Parkway. Of course winter is a fairy land when on a crystal clear night, a zillion stars seem to sprinkle over the tree tops. And during a full moon, you won't need a night light at all. The cabin is located 12 miles from Asheville, NC and is easily accessible.