Doughton Park

Originally called the Bluffs and located on the Blue Ridge Parkway twenty five miles south of the Virginia border, Doughton Park has moved quickly up my list of favorite North Carolina destinations.

Thanks to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the park has a bit of everything. A visitor center, a restaurant, drive-in and primitive campgrounds, two historic cabins, seven trails, and an expansive picnic area which opens out into the windswept Bluff Mountain Trail - where I hiked for a couple of hours and took the photo above.

If you haven’t visited the parkway recently, I highly recommend making a short trip, breathing some fresh mountain air, and helping support the many small communities that continue to rebuild after Hurricane Helene. Hard to believe the storm blew over the mountains more than a year ago.