Mills River Valley Overlook

This overlook offers exceptional long-range views across the surrounding mountains. From here, visitors can look down upon Funnel Top Mountain, where its numerous peaks and ridges create a striking Appalachian landscape.

View of Funnel Top

The name “Pink Beds” comes from early settlers who logged the valley below, leaving open fields where pink wildflowers and rhododendrons flourished. Although the area has since been reforested, the historic name remains.

Pink Beds offers an expansive view of more than 180°, thanks to the overlook’s curved parking area. The panorama below was created from 11 photos. While the view is wide, I didn’t find it particularly interesting compared with some of the other overlooks along the Parkway.

Like Funnel Top Overlook to the north, Pink Beds faces east. If you’re visiting primarily for photography, the morning may not be the best time to stop, as the rising sun will be shining directly toward the camera

View of Pink Beds

In the late 1800s, George Vanderbilt purchased a large portion of the Pisgah wilderness with the goal of preserving its natural beauty and creating a private game preserve. He hired German forestry professor Dr. Carl Alwin Schenck to manage the property and establish a forestry school. Operating from 1898 to 1913, the School of American Forestry trained approximately 300 foresters and helped shape modern forestry practices in the United States.

The Cradle of Forestry Overlook

Cold Mountain rises to 6,030 feet and has experienced temperatures more than 20 degrees below zero. The mountain is also famous as the namesake of the award-winning, bestselling novel Cold Mountain, set in Civil War-era Appalachia.

View of Cold Mountain

Starting as a foot path, the Wagon Road was eventually used for wagons travelling between Brevard and Waynesville.

Wagon Road Gap Overlook

Pounding Mill Overlook

Because of the favorable conditions in the cove, Black Cherry trees can grow up to 100 feet tall, nearly twice the height they typically reach in the lowlands. In early fall, thousands of birds are drawn to the area by the ripened cherries on the trees.

View of Cherry Cove

Log Hollow Overlook

One of the largest masses of granite in the Eastern United States, Looking Glass Rock gets its name from the shimmering effects of sunlight on its surface when wet.

All Overlooks