🥾 ActiveWeekend · from Asheville, NC
Cherohala Skyway & Joyce Kilmer — A High Road to the Ancient Forest
The Cherohala Skyway is one of the great undiscovered drives of the Southern Appalachians — a 43-mile National Scenic Byway that climbs above 5,000 feet along the crest between the Cherokee and Nantahala national forests, with far fewer crowds than the Blue Ridge Parkway. Two hours southwest of Asheville, it anchors a weekend built around big country and old trees. Day one drives the Skyway's high crest, stopping at grassy overlooks and short summit trails, then drops to the cool waters and long shoreline of Lake Santeetlah. Day two walks among giants in the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, a rare stand of virgin old-growth where tulip poplars over 400 years old and 20 feet around still stand, before exploring the tiny mountain town of Robbinsville and driving home. Robbinsville and the lakeside Tapoco area anchor the overnight. It is a quieter, more contemplative active weekend — high roads, ancient forest, and a mountain lake, well off the tourist track.
Day 1 — Cherohala Skyway crest & Lake SanteetlahDay 2 — Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest old-growth & Robbinsville
Day 1 — Cherohala Skyway & Lake Santeetlah, NC
Day 1 — Cherohala Skyway & Lake Santeetlah, NC
🚗 2 hr driving📍 5 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
Asheville, NC → Cherohala Skyway (eastern terminus, Robbinsville)
2 hr8:00 AM → 10:00 AM
Cherohala Skyway Crest & Overlooks
★ 4.9The Cherohala Skyway climbs from Robbinsville up onto a high spine straddling the North Carolina–Tennessee line, topping out above 5,300 feet with a string of grassy overlooks that rival any on the Blue Ridge Parkway — and with a fraction of the traffic. Pull-offs like Santeetlah Overlook, Huckleberry Knob, and Spirit Ridge open onto layered ranges rolling to the horizon in every direction, and short spur trails let you stretch onto open balds. Drive the crest at an unhurried pace, stopping often; the whole byway runs 43 miles to Tellico Plains, Tennessee, but the North Carolina half holds the best high country. Fuel up before you start, as there are no services on the Skyway itself.
10:00 AM📍 See location
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Lunch
Huckleberry Knob Trail
★ 4.9The highest and finest short walk directly off the Skyway climbs to the grassy summit of Huckleberry Knob, at 5,560 feet the tallest peak in the Unicoi Mountains and a genuine open bald. The route is a gentle two and a half miles round trip along an old grassy road grade, emerging onto a treeless dome with an unbroken 360-degree panorama and, in July, wild blueberries underfoot. It is one of the best effort-to-reward summits in the region, easy enough for most walkers yet delivering true high-country views. Carry a wind layer — the exposed top catches every breeze — and eat a packed lunch at the summit before descending toward the lake.
11:00 AM📍 See location
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Afternoon
Lake Santeetlah Shoreline
★ 4.1Below the Skyway, Lake Santeetlah is a quiet, clear mountain reservoir with nearly 80 percent of its shoreline held in national forest, giving it an undeveloped, wild feel rare among Southern lakes. Its cool water and forested coves are ideal for an afternoon swim, paddle, or lakeside stroll after the morning's high driving and hiking. Public access points and small beaches let you get down to the water, and the surrounding Nantahala National Forest ridges reflect on calm evenings. It is a restful counterpoint to the exposed heights above, and an easy transition into the overnight at nearby Robbinsville or Tapoco.
12:00 PM📍 See location
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Evening
🍽️ Dinner5:00 PM
Lynn's Place, Robbinsville
Robbinsville is a small town with a handful of honest, home-style kitchens, and this local favorite serves generous plates of Southern comfort food — country cooking, sandwiches, and hearty dinners — that suit an appetite built on a day outdoors. Dining options in this remote corner are limited, so a reliable, welcoming local spot is exactly what the evening calls for. Service is friendly and unhurried, in keeping with the town's pace. If you are staying lakeside at Tapoco, the historic Tapoco Lodge restaurant is an equally good option.
2 options · tap to switch
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Robbinsville / Tapoco lodging
This remote corner of North Carolina offers a few characterful bases: simple motels and cabins in and around Robbinsville, and the restored historic Tapoco Lodge on the Cheoah River toward the Tennessee line. Staying near Robbinsville keeps you minutes from tomorrow's drive to Joyce Kilmer, while Tapoco offers a riverside setting with its own restaurant. Lodging here is limited and seasonal, so reserve ahead, especially in fall. Cell service is spotty throughout the area — download maps before you arrive.
Day 2 — Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest & Robbinsville, NC
Day 2 — Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest & Robbinsville, NC
🚗 2 hr 25 min driving📍 3 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
Robbinsville, NC → Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest
25 min8:00 AM → 8:25 AM
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest Loop Trail
★ 4.8The Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest protects one of the largest remaining stands of virgin old-growth in the eastern United States — a cathedral of tulip poplars, hemlocks, and oaks, some more than 400 years old, over 100 feet tall, and 20 feet around at the base. The two-mile figure-eight loop trail winds gently through this primeval forest, where sunlight filters through an unbroken high canopy onto a lush floor of ferns and wildflowers, past trees so massive they dwarf everyone beneath them. Dedicated in 1936 to the poet who wrote 'Trees,' the forest was spared the sawmills that leveled nearly every other old stand in the mountains. Walk slowly and quietly; it is one of the most moving natural places in the Southern Appalachians.
8:25 AM📍 See location
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Lunch
Continue at Picnic at Joyce Kilmer Picnic Area
★ 4.8Use the afternoon to explore a different side of Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest Loop Trail — there's more to discover beyond the morning highlights.
9:25 AM📍 See location
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Afternoon
Downtown Robbinsville & Fontana Overlooks
★ 4.9Before turning toward home, small-town Robbinsville is worth a short wander — the seat of Graham County, one of the most rural and heavily forested counties in the East, with a modest main street, a few shops, and the grave of the Cherokee leader Junaluska on a hillside above town. The drive back toward Asheville can be routed past Fontana Lake and its overlooks for one more sweep of blue mountain water. It is a gentle, low-mileage afternoon that closes the weekend without rushing. From here, begin the scenic drive home.
12:00 PM📍 See location
🌙
Evening
🚗
Drive
Robbinsville, NC → Asheville, NC
2 hr5:00 PM → 7:00 PM
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