|
Devil's Courthouse Trail - .5 mile
The sign at the begin of the trail
reads. The bare rock profile named
Devil's Courthouse is sinister in
appearance and legend. It's "devilish"
look has contributed to the many folk
tales surrounding this mountain. Within
the mountain is a cave where, legend
claims, the devil holds court. In
Cherokee lore, this cave is the private
dancing chamber and dwelling place of
the slant-eyed giant, Judaculla. Despite
its name and reputation, Devil's
Courthouse is home to rare and delicate
high-altitude plants. If you walk the
one-half-mile route to the summit,
please stay on the trail. Rare plants,
like the Rock Gnome Lichen and the
Spreading Avens, live on Devil's
Courthouse. Some of these alpine species
may be remnants from the last glacial
period. The panoramic view from the
summit includes four states: North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and
Tennessee.
Graveyard fields Trail - .2 to
1.6 miles
The Graveyard Field Trails give you a
different experience than the other
trails give you. This trail provides you
a view of where you are going when you
reach the summit. However, you can still
not see everything from the parking lot.
This is one of the more popular areas on
the Blue Ridge Parkway. You're likely to
always find the parking lot full.
Mountain Industry Trail - .4
miles
This is a trail where you will want
to take your camera instead of your
canteen. During your hike you will find
buildings, farm implements and a whiskey
still. You may even be lucky enough to
see live demonstrations of mountain
crafts such as grist milling, spinning,
blacksmithing which were a part of the
early 1900's. Also from the displays,
you will learn the recipes for homemade
soap and moonshine. |
