The Linville Gorge Wilderness is 11,786 acres of amazing. Here’s 3 of our favorite excursions into this spectacular western North Carolina wild land. Photography by JC Garcia
Wiseman’s View–A Linville Gorge Panorama
Wiseman’s View provides visitors a panoramic experience from a pinnacle more than 1,400 feet above the gorge floor. The 4 mile stretch of gravel, rocky, sometimes-rutted road could leave you bottomed out, depending on how well-maintained you find it after heavy rain or snow. The view once you get there, though, is otherworldly. HIKE WISEMAN’S VIEW
Hawksbill Mountain
The Hawksbill Mountain Trail in western North Carolina’s Linville Gorge is a quick hike full of grandeur that winds through beautiful rhododendron and up to rock outcroppings for a spectacular view of the breathtaking landscape from atop Hawksbill Mountain–one of the our state’s treasures. HIKE HAWKSBILL MOUNTAIN
The Chimneys
This day hike provides some of the most amazing views of one of the best parts of Linville Gorge, and it can be among the harder hikes there depending on where you start. The overlooks at The Chimneys though are spectacular on a clear day. HIKE THE CHIMNEYS