Editor’s Note (October 2024): We love and celebrate our mountain communities; however, following the devastation of Hurricane Helene, many areas remain inaccessible for travel. Please check DriveNC.gov’s travel map for the latest on traveling to these areas.
The Cherokee IV and its predecessors have been ferrying passengers around Lake Junaluska since 1914. Photography courtesy of Lake Junaluska
When Lake Junaluska was first developed by the Methodist Episcopal Church South 111 years ago, passengers arriving at the train depot were ferried to the main grounds on the other side of the lake. Today, the wheelchair-accessible Cherokee IV boat cruise carries on the tradition — not for transportation but for relaxation.
Gliding gently on a no-wake lake, the tri-hull pontoon boat offers a peaceful way to take in the sights onshore and beyond. Capt. Wilson Booth navigates while a tour guide shares information about Stuart Auditorium, which has hosted the likes of Billy Graham, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Balsam Range; the Lambuth Inn, completed in 1921; and the natural history of one of the most biodiverse areas on Earth.
On limited public and private tours in October, passengers are surrounded by autumn leaves. “It’s spectacular how [the fall color] reflects off the water,” says Mike Huber, general manager of Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center. “It’s a 360-degree view of beautiful foliage right around the lake. But then off in the distance, looking out west to the Blue Ridge Mountains, is really stunning.”
710 North Lakeshore Drive
Lake Junaluska, NC 28745
(828) 454-6776
lakejunaluska.com/activities/lake-cruises
Video cameras attached to each cart capture the joy on riders’ faces as they speed down the alpine coaster. Visitors can purchase their recordings at the gift shop. photograph by Derek Diluzio
As carts zoom down the Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster, a thick cover of foliage from maple, beech, cherry, and oak trees flashes by, producing a rainbow of colors in the fall.
After riders are strapped into the carts, a haul rope pulls them to the highest point on the track; then, the rope is released, and the carts fly downhill at up to 27 miles per hour. (For those who prefer a less adventurous experience, riders have full control of the brakes.) The track twists, turns, and dips for more than 3,000 feet, finishing right back at the start. At the end of the track, “I hear people hootin’ and hollerin’, saying that it was a lot faster than they thought it would be,” says Eric Bechard, who owns the coaster with his wife, Tara. “The last circle is probably my favorite. It gives me the butterflies every time I do it.”
When Eric told Tara that he wanted to open a hot dog stand after retiring from a 26-year career in the military, she proposed an alternative. The couple had ridden alpine coasters while living in Europe, and Tara dreamed of building one in North Carolina. They opened the state’s first alpine coaster in Banner Elk in 2020.
3265 Tynecastle Highway
Banner Elk, NC 28604
(828) 898-7866
wildernessrunalpinecoaster.com
Slow down and soak up the fall colors on a leisurely trolley tour Ridgeline Trolley No. 1780 photograph by Revival Creatives
It’s hard to say where the best place to see changing leaves is during the six-hour Fall Color Tour aboard the Ridgeline Trolley.
It may be along one of the 111 curves on NC Highway 181 through Pisgah National Forest between Morganton, where the tour departs, and Linville Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Or it could be at Linville Falls Winery, where the tour stops for an hour to let passengers sip a glass or flight of wine and to walk around a pond and among the vines.
Or maybe it’s at Linville Falls itself, where the tour stops for a picnic lunch packed by Swede’s Cafe of Morganton. Passengers can hike up to 1.6 miles, with views of the falls along the way, or simply spend time at the interactive visitor center, which has information about the trees and topography of the area.
In the fall, look out for Ridgeline Trolley No. 1780 on mountain roads between Morganton and Linville. photograph by Revival Creatives
Wherever it is, the leaves are only the backdrop of a memorable experience. “Being on a trolley is a big part of what makes it special,” says Katherine Christie of Burke County Tourism Development Authority, which operates the tour. “Trolleys are very idyllic. It’s fun to have that nostalgia of the wood seats and the brass handles.”
And just on the other side of the glass, nature’s best art show beckons passengers to come back autumn after autumn.
Tours run at 11 a.m., Thursdays through Saturdays in October.
140 North Sterling Street
Morganton, NC 28655
(828) 433-6793
facebook.com/ridgelinetrolley
Jeter Mountain Farm grows more than 25 varieties of apples that ripen at different times, allowing for a long you-pick season. Photography courtesy of Jeter Mountain Farm
Visitors to Jeter Mountain Farm hop on a wheelchair-accessible covered wagon pulled by a vintage John Deere tractor and ride out to sprawling apple orchards. After guests fill their baskets, the wagon takes them back to the barn area to relax at picnic tables, sip cider pressed on the farm, and, on weekends, listen to live bluegrass.
Brothers Jared and Tyler Hunsader opened the you-pick orchard in 2020, pivoting from commercial farming. They own the farm with their wives, Jocelyn and Kelsey, operating it with the help of their parents, Mike and Tricia. The Hunsaders’ kids love to take daily wagon rides. “Watching what our family enjoys is the litmus test of what we want to do more of,” Jocelyn says. “Families get to come to our farm to make memories, and people make that their fall tradition.”
From nearly everywhere on the farm in the fall, visitors can see a nearby mountain in full color, plus maples planted on the property. “They look like they’re on fire,” Jocelyn says.
1126 Jeter Mountain Road
Hendersonville, NC 28739
(828) 513-0656
jetermountainfarm.com
Look up! Mountain Cat Off-Road Adventures’s owner Jack Sharp thinks fall foliage viewed from underneath the tree canopy is best. Photography courtesy of Sky Valley Zip Tours
Those with no off-roading experience need not be intimidated: It only takes about 10 minutes for most people to learn to drive an electric adventure vehicle at Sky Valley Zip Tours. Mountain Cat Off-Road Adventures start on an easy track before riders tackle the steeper climbs and sharper turns of the mountains around Blowing Rock.
Owner Jack Sharp left a career in civil engineering to start the adventure company in 2012. He put his background to good use while building the off-road track, repurposing aluminum flatbed trailers to construct a bridge over Flannery Fork. The tour includes a mountain summit with wide-reaching views, but Sharp’s favorite way to see fall foliage is under the tree canopy.
“When you’re actually in the woods, with the light coming through the trees, the spectrum of colors, to me, is more intense,” he says. “It’s almost like being in a kaleidoscope.”
634 Sky Ranch Road
Blowing Rock, NC 28605
(828) 264-0002
skyvalleyziptours.com
Sightsee for more than a mile-long stretch along the Gorge Zipline. photograph by Tom Moors
Even those who have been on a zipline before have likely never experienced one quite like The Gorge Zipline. The steep drops of the Green River Gorge in Saluda make for a fast, thrilling ride — and a scenic one to boot.
After operating the whitewater kayaking and rafting business Green River Adventures for years, Saluda locals Tim and Sara Bell opened their zipline tour in the gorge in 2013.
Between zipping through tree canopies, adventurers on The Gorge Zipline can slow down on a sky bridge, taking in the fall colors in detail. photograph by Tom Moors
Beginning at the rim, groups whiz down 11 lines that span a mile and a quarter and rappel off three tree platforms for a total elevation drop of 1,100 feet, ending at the bottom of the gorge beside the Green River. In the middle of the tour, groups are invited to slow down and take in the fall leaves on a tree-to-tree sky bridge — although the vibrant foliage can be seen throughout the tour.
“Some of my favorite moments,” says Abby Burt of Applied Adventure Consulting, which operates the tours, “are when you’re on a zipline, you zip out from a tree tunnel, and you get these expansive views of the gorge that are just jaw-dropping and a really fun surprise.”
166 Honey Bee Drive
Saluda, NC 28773
(828) 749-2500
thegorgezipline.com
North Carolina is known for many things, but nothing more important this week than the qualities of endurance, resilience, and hope.
By day, this adventure park in the Triad is a fall festival to die for. By night, the undead come alive for Halloween tricks. Welcome to one man’s vision of year-round merrymaking.
North Carolina’s border dances across the mountains as it traces four different states. Life here can be more remote, but good neighbors are never far away.
The Blue Ridge Parkway stands out among America’s national parks: Unfurling across six Appalachian mountain chains, it connects dozens of rural communities and binds together generations of families through shared memories.
