Green Knob Lookout Tower — Attraction in Old Fort

My wife and I were in the Blue Ridge Parkway this Labor Day (2024) looking for places to explore. We stopped at the Green Knob Overlook. My wife said there was a hike to an abandoned fire tower in the area. We looked for signage indicating where the trail began but could find nothing. Fortunately we had cell phone service so my wife was able to locate the tower on her Google Maps app. Based on this app we determined the tower was actually somewhere near but across the road from the overlook. We got back into our car and drove a short distance and sure enough saw steps leading up the mountain from the road. There was NO Signage or any trail head indicator. We pulled off the side of the road and parked near the steps.

While the top of the tower is not open, the staircase provides an ok viewpoint for the rugged Black Mountains range, including the highest peak in the eastern USA. Sitting atop the 5,080-foot Green Knob Mountain, the fire tower built by the U.S. Forest Service in 1931.

But one could just park at the Green Knob Overlook at milepost 350.4 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just five miles north of Mt. Mitchell State Park. Like I said the trail is not obvious from the overlook, there is no signage. From the overlook, walk about 100 yards north (turn right from the overlook) and look for the steps for the trail on the opposite side of the road. The trail is kind of narrow, a 1/2-mile trail which gradually gains 340 feet in elevation. It is white diamond marked and I've read it is maintained by the volunteers with the North Carolina High Peaks Trail Association. The trail is actually in good shape! 👍 I'd say the trail is easy to maybe moderate in some spots. But I just wore tennis shoes for this hike and carried a bottle of water 💦. So, it's not a major type endeavor! Pretty cool but disappointed you can't actually go inside the tower. And no, it's not a scenic hike unless you think walking in the...

This may be my favorite stop along the Blue Ridge Parkway. To find the trail, you'll have to park at the Green Knob Overlook and walk along the side of the road a few hundred feet (north/east). Don't make the mistake I did and walk down the trail in the corner of the parking lot.

The hike isn't very long (1/3 to 1/2 mile?) but still a strenuous climb, in part due to the altitude. An amazing and calm vantage of the mountains from the top of the Lookout...

We hiked up to stretch the legs in March on a wet and cloudy day. The entrance is about 150 feet north of the Green Knob overlook (just after the 350 mile marker heading south) and is not completely obvious. The hike up was moderate and not too slippery even given the conditions. The tower was closed but you can still climb to the top of the stairs for a view. Unfortunately it was a white out. But we enjoy the walk and...