Photo courtesy of Haywood County Tourism Development Authority.
Sights & Sounds
Activities & Interests
Richland Balsam
Richland Balsam, a mountain near Waynesville, North Carolina, rises to 6,410 feet and is the highest peak on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Visitors can reach the summit on a 1.5 mile, self-guided loop trail that passes through a spruce-fir forest.
The term "balsam" is commonly applied to Fraser fir and red spruce, the scent of which permeates the fresh air on the mountain. Two varieties of spruce grow at Richland Balsam: "he-balsam" has rough bark and prickly needles like a man's beard and "she-balsam" has smooth barked fir with shiny flat needles.
Other plants such as blackberry and elderberry grow where the firs have been knocked over by windstorms, opening the forest floor to sunlight.
Hours of Operation
N/A
Admission Fees
None
Location
The Richland Balsam trail starts from the Haywood-Jackson Overlook at Parkway milepost 431.
Parkway information:
Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center
195 Hemphill Knob Road
Asheville, NC 28803
Milepost 384
(828) 298-5330
Visitor Information Recorded Message: (828) 298-0398
Blue Ridge Parkway website
Also Nearby
- Scottish Tartans Museum
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0 miles
The Scottish Tartans Museum in Franklin, NC displays over 500 tartans and serves as a Scottish Heritage Center for the region.
- Cullasaja River Gorge
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The Cullasaja River Gorge offers a spectacular drive along the Mountain Waters Scenic Byway between Franklin and Highlands, NC.
- Nantahala River Bogs
-
12 miles
The Nantahala River Bogs Natural Area protects some of the few remaining bogs in the North Carolina mountains.
