Blue Ridge Parkway - Rattlesnake Lodge Trail
Cynthia is a digital marketer, writer, and artist. She writes about a variety of topics, especially digital marketing, languages & culture.
The view, walking along the Mountains to Sea Trail heading toward Ox Creek Road.
Hikes Near Asheville
Love the forest? Love the mountains? I luckily live near both. I live near the Blue Ridge Parkway right outside of Asheville, NC. It’s one of my favorite places to bike, hike and drive.
The views and beauty are breathtaking.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is 469 miles long. As such, there are a lot of opportunities to get your fill of nature.
Hiking the Mountains Near Asheville
I will focus on a hike I did near Asheville, at milepost 374.4, right by Tanbark Tunnel. You can get there easily from Weaverville, NC via Ox Creek Road. Turn left onto the Parkway and stop just before Tanbark Tunnel. You can park on either side, with the trail on the north side of the road.
It’s an out-and-back trail, and is 2.2 miles long. Round-trip it is 4.4 miles – a good hike! It goes from the ruins of the Rattlesnake Lodge site to Ox Creek Road. If you start out from the Parkway (you can also start from Ox Creek Road going in the opposite direction), you’ll head mostly north.
It'll take you about 2.5 hours to complete the trail. It took me longer because I was caught up taking so many photographs!