Richland Balsam Trail — Attraction in North Carolina

Trail is great! A few tips we wish we knew when we set out: You probably won’t find this spot unless you have the location set in your GPS. There is no signage indicating this is the trail. Just a tiny symbol of a hiker with a walking stick. There are around 22 trail markers that are numbered. After marker 5, there’s a fork in the trail. The trail markers are designed to take the right (although it’s a loop so you can go either way!). The amazing overlook is around marker 20! So if you’re short on time, take the left at the fork by marker 5 and you’ll get there much faster. Note: We hiked in July and the trees were so full, you could only really see through at the overlook. This is more than a moderate level hike, especially if the conditions are wet. Much of this trail is rocky / slippery when wet. It’s a great trail if you want the exercise/strength training, but you can get the view just fine from the overlook where you park your car to enter the trail, which is also an ideal picnic spot. Plenty of grass to set up a blanket for a picnic (not a lot of picnic...

This was an amazing trail on the Blue Ridge Parkway that was the perfect closeout to our week of hiking. The trail is only about a mile and a half loop but was an absolutely gorgeous hike through some pines. There are plenty of markers along the way and several benches for breaks should you need them. Be prepared to gain some elevation on this hike, but the trail itself is probably moderate in difficulty as there are a lot of are big steps up and down rocks with plenty of roots, but our 9 and 11 year old handled it easily. My wife and I carried our 3 and 5 year old on our shoulders for most of the hike, but that only helped us pay more attention to our footing. I'd call this a great family hike that's very scenic and not at all crowded. The hike to the summit and down again was a rewarding experience and definitely a worthwhile stop if your driving along...

Steep, poorly maintained trail.

It's interesting to go to the highest point on the Blue ridge parkway, but other than that it's not such a great trail. There are many places where the weeds have grown so that you have to wade through them. The trail is washed out in several places. When you get to the top, there's no view. There's a little sign that sits in a dense grove of trees.

If you're a regular hiker, this doesn't mean anything to you.

However, based on the crowd that I saw when I was there, it looks more like city folks that are just out there for a touristy afternoon. There was one man who was toting a toddler in his golf shirt, walking shorts and loafers. I can't imagine that he made it to the top.

On the good side, there's a picnic table out there with a great view, just off the...