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NPTC Southeast Convention Road Trip➤

My friend Patty and I travelled to Asheville, North Carolina for the 2023 National Park Travelers Club Convention. The convention rotates to a different region each year. For 2023, it was in the Southeast region. On the way down, during the convention and on the way home we visited nine National Park Service units and some other parks. On the third day of our road trip we took the club’s Great Smoky Mountains Bus Tour. The tour stopped at Waterrock Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway on the way back to the hotel.

Blue Ridge Parkway➤

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a scenic roadway that winds through the Appalachian Highlands. Stretching for 469 miles, it connects the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina.

Constructed as a New Deal public works project during the 1930s and 1940s, the Parkway is renowned for its stunning vistas, diverse flora and fauna, and cultural heritage. It follows the ridgeline of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Along the Parkway, there are numerous overlooks, picnic areas, hiking trails, and campgrounds. It also provides access to several historic sites, including old farmsteads, grist mills, and Civil War battlefields, offering visitors a glimpse into the region’s past. The National Park Service manages the Parkway.

Waterrock Knob is one of the prominent landmarks along the Blue Ridge Parkway. At an elevation of 6,292 feet, Waterrock Knob is one of the highest peaks accessible by car on the Parkway. From the parking area, you can take a short but steep hike to the summit to see breathtaking vistas in every direction. On clear days, you can see for miles, with views of the Great Smoky Mountains to the west and the expansive Pisgah National Forest to the east. Unfortunately it was pouring when we stopped there, so we went to the visitor center and then headed back to the hotel.

Southeast Convention Posts ➤

• Booker T Washington National Monument
• Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
• Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site
• Museum of the Cherokee Indian
• Great Smoky: Oconaluftee River Trail
• Great Smoky: Mountain Farm Museum
• Blue Ridge Parkway: Waterrock Knob
• Kings Mountain National Military Park
• Cowpens National Battlefield
• Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
• Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail
• Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park
• Antietam National Battlefield

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Location: 1194 Newfound Gap Rd, Cherokee, North Carolina
Designation: National Park
Date designated/established: June 15, 1934
Date of my visit: August 3, 2023