First Stops
Looking Glass Falls is just North of Brevard, NC with an easy access which makes it very popular for tourists. It has a walk way down to the pool for easy access to admire this beautiful falls from below. The name comes from Looking Glass Rock, which resembles a mirror, as water freezes on its sides and reflects the sun. Looking Glass falls was near the start of road from Brevard to the BRP, along this path there were many falls. The road was very twisty and the speed limit was 25 for most of the road and the climb up hill was great for most of the road. As I came to the end of that road I merged on to the BRP right in front of Cold Mountain and the Pink Beds off to my left.
Cold Mountain is located within the Pisgah National Forest which was the first National Forest in the US. The mountain lies completely within federal lands and is uninhabited. It rises to 6,030 feet above sea level. It is the 40th tallest mountain in the eastern United States. Much of the lands was owned by George Washington Vanderbilt II who built the Biltmore Estate. This mountain became famous after the book and movie Cold Mountain was distributed. Much to my suprise I was only 30 miles from Asheville when I started the peaceful trip. The Southern end of the parkway was very well maintained and it offered wonderful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and you can see why they are named that.
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