Blue Ridge Parkway | OCONALUFTEE RIVER VIEW (MP 468.4)

View of the Oconaluftee River from Mile Post 468 on the Blue Ridge Parkway

View of the Oconaluftee River from Mile Post 468 on the Blue Ridge Parkway

View: ♦ ♦ / 5
Trails: None
Picnic Tables: None

The Oconaluftee River View is the first overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway when starting at its southern entrance near Cherokee, North Carolina. Unfortunately, you won’t see the Oconaluftee River from here because the view into the valley is blocked by trees and brush. Instead, view the river from the bridge just yards from the entrance to the Parkway. A parking area along the shoulder of the road is north of the bridge, so park here and then walk back for a clear view of the river. It appears to be a popular fly fishing spot. When I visited a couple of guides were giving lessons.

Shoulder parking just north of the southern entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway

Shoulder parking north of the southern entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway

Fly fishing in the Oconaluftee River near Mile Post 468 on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Fly fishing in the Oconaluftee River near Mile Post 468 on the Blue Ridge Parkway

From the actual overlook you can see the Smoky Mountains, but because they run flush to the viewing area, the scene lacks a sense of depth. The best views along the Blue Ridge Parkway are the ones where you can see into the valley and where at least some of the mountains run perpendicular, not parallel, to the overlook.

Panoramic view from the Oconaluftee Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Panoramic view from the Oconaluftee Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway (click to enlarge)

If you just entered the Blue Ridge Parkway, you will soon discover that many of the overlooks are now overgrown and that views that were once wide open when the Parkway was built are no longer there. In fact, there are more than forty overlooks within the first forty miles of the southern entrance, and only a half dozen or so are worth stopping at. The bests views are at Waterrock Knob Overlook (MP 451) and Cowee Mountain Overlook (MP 430). I suggest passing all of the overlooks until you arrive at one of these two.


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Last updated on December 18, 2023
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