My 1000th post.
Waterrock Knob at 6273' is the highest of the Plott Balsams and a great stop along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The hike from the parking area/visitor center is uphill, all the way. Today, the vegetation was at its seasonal fullest. White Snakeroot was the dominate flowering plant along the route up.
A spring near the summit is responsible for the name "waterrock".
Many folks continue hiking from the top, down and up again to Browning Knob where there is a well worn path to a plane wreck. Many a social media selfie has been taken there. Facebook is littered with them.
From the parking area, we could see the top but once up there, clouds had moved in and that was all we saw in the way of a view. Otherwise the flowering vegetation was pretty stunning.
Later in the month, September 24, I attended National Public Lands Day celebration, in the grass beside the visitors center. We faced a wonderful view overlooking the Qualla Boundary, marred only by Harrah's Casino. Many of the Blue Ridge Parkway's land acquisition partners attended, including the Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy, Piedmont Land Trust, Blue Ridge Conservancy, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy and the Eastern Bank of Cherokee. Mike Leonard of the Conservation Fund led the program and introduced and recognized all the contributors to BRP land acquisitions over the past decade. Tracy Swartout, BRP superintendent thanked all the contributors. Tommy Cabe gave a very interesting perspective of Waterrock Knob's importance to the Cherokee people. Mike Leonard pointed out that the Cherokee purchase of over 50,000 acres in the mid 1800s, now comprising the Qualla Boundary, was the first land conservation purchase in the US. Fred and Alice Stanback were singled out as outstanding contributors for their support, particularly for Fishers Peak, the largest of the land acquisitions.
White Snakeroot
A hidden waterfall nearby
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