Waterfall Hero Hikes: Waterrock Knob

Waterrock Knob, at 6,292 feet above sea level, is the highest summit in the Plott Balsams, a subrange of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The mountain and surrounding land is part of the Pisgah District of the Blue Ridge Parkway. At 5,820 feet, the Waterrock Knob Visitor Center at milepoist 451.2 is the highest along the parkway. The seasonally-open visitor center acts as a trailhead for a short trail leading to the summit of Waterrock Knob as well as the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Owing to its location and elevation, Waterrock Knob is an excellent place to watch the sunrise or sunset.

Directions:

From Waynesville, head west on US-23/US-74 for about 7 miles and turn right towards the Blue Ridge Parkway. Turn right to go southbound on the parkway for 7.7 miles and turn right on the entrance road for Waterrock Knob.

Map:

Trails:

Mountains-to-Sea Trail:

The statewide Mountains-to-Sea Trail runs through the area with Waterrock Knob being the boundary between Segment 1 and Segment 2.

Waterrock Knob Trail:

Waterrock Knob is a half-mile trail leading from the Visitor Center up to the summit. The first half is paved and leads to a scenic overlook.

The trail changes to natural surface and becomes a little more rugged up to the top.

Points of Interest:

Plane Crash:

In the 1980s, a small airplane crashed into Browning Knob. The wreckage was removed by the National Park Service in summer 2023, but I left a picture up for posterity.