Two nights
A Linville Falls weekend from the cabin
Linville Falls is about fifteen minutes from the cabin. Here is how most groups end up spending the weekend.
Friday
Check-in is 3:00 PM. Stock groceries on the way up, it is about thirty minutes down to Marion for the Food Lion or Ingles and you will not want to make that drive twice. Gas fireplace inside, gas fire table on the deck, and that is usually the whole evening.
Saturday
Erwins View in the morning, before the lot fills. The trails are open again, but the visitor center, picnic area, and campground are still closed after Helene, so bring your own water and plan on no restrooms. Get in from the 1.5-mile Parkway spur at milepost 316.4 or the Forest Service lot on Old NC 105. Then back to the cabin for a long table dinner.
Plunge Basin goes to the base of the falls and it is strenuous, steep going down and worse coming back. Swimming and climbing on the rocks are not allowed. Only take it on if everybody in the group actually wants the climb.
If the gravel road is in decent shape, Wiseman’s View is worth the roughly forty minutes of gravel for the look straight into the gorge.
Sunday
Slow morning. Parkway pull-offs are about fifteen minutes away. Catawba Falls is about forty-five minutes, but it has been in and out of closure since Helene and the upper observation deck is gone, so check the Forest Service before you drive to Old Fort. Checkout is 10:00 AM.
Worth knowing
After Helene, some trails, facilities, and Parkway sections are still being repaired. Check nps.gov/blri and ncparks.gov the morning you head out.
Bringing rods or planning a bird season trip? Read our fly fishing and bird hunting guide.