The Linville Gorge is arguably the most rugged, beautiful place in the eastern United States. It’s vast old growth forests, soaring cliffs and the rushing Linville River make it a destination for many, many hikers, rock climbers and white water rafters each year. It is comprised of over 10,000 acres of mainly old growth forests, forests that due to the nature of the terrain were never logged in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The only man-made structures in the gorge are a couple bridges towards the bottom, a road running along parts of each side, and a visitor center at Linville Falls at the head of the gorge. One of the most recognizable mountains of the region, Table Rock, lies along the eastern spine, along with Hawksbill, Shortoff, Jonas Ridge and Linville Mountains. This week, we’re going to take a trip to the most easily accessible and popular places: Wiseman’s View.
Wiseman’s View is the only handicap accessible view of the “Grand Canyon of the East” section of the gorge, but it does not disappoint.
The most obvious point of interest in this shot is that peculiar-looking mountain on the left. Table Rock, as it is called, is not a flat mountain, but rather a “knife ridge”. It is one of the most prominent, unique peaks in the region and can also be hiked (you’ll see that later, 🙂 ). Shortoff Mountain lies all the way to the right, and the Linville River runs in between. The distance from the top to bottom of the gorge is over 2000ft in some places below, and if you look over the edge of the viewing platform you’ll definitely get a sense of just how deep this gorge is.
Close up of Table Rock Mountain
North View from Wiseman’s
Looking north there aren’t any mountains that stick out, but it is nevertheless an impressive view. You can access a non-official trail to the edge of a cliff face to get the best view north, but even without jumping the fence the view is fantastic.
Located directly across the gorge from Wiseman’s View is my personal favorite mountain: Hawksbill. This mountain features steep cliff sides has the shape of the bill of the Red Tail Hawks that frequent this region.
While I don’t have any good photos of them, Red Tail Hawks and Peregrine Falcons both inhabit this gorge, and can be seen on most any day flying through the gorge below. Wiseman’s offers an excellent place to watch for them thanks to it’s location on the gorge. There are two known Peregrine Falcon nests, one located just down the gorge wall from Wiseman’s and the other on Shortoff Mountain. If you get the chance to see one of these birds, you will have truly seen a rare thing, as Peregrine’s remain an endangered species.
Another view of the cliffs near Wiseman’s
Closer look at the steep gorge walls
To get to this amazing place, exit the Blue Ridge Parkway onto Highway 221 in the Linville Wilderness and follow the signs towards the “Linville Community”. Turn left onto Highway 183 and then quickly bear right and follow the dirt road to the well-marked Wiseman’s view. I don’t recommend low-sitting vehicles for this trip, though I have seen expensive Mustangs and Camaros out there doing just fine.
I suggest going on a weekday as weekends can get a bit crowded, and to go when the humidity is much lower than it was when I took these photos.
Expect more from Linville Gorge soon.
I’ll see you on the road….~TW
