Sunset at Heintooga Overlook

Cherokee, North Carolina

Description

This an easy hike to possibly the best unknown spot in the Smoky Mountains. Two benches face the west for a picturesque sunset view.

Between the Cherokee and Maggie Valley exit on the Blue Ridge Parkway, turn off on Heintooga Ridge Road. About a quarter mile past the Balsam Campground you will come to a loop in the road. Flat Creek Trail leads directly from the loop to Heintooga Overlook only a couple hundred yards from the parking lot. There are restrooms and a nice picnic area up on the ridge. Heintooga Overlook is composed of two benches facing a clearing to the west. I have personally been there over twenty times and it never ceases to amaze.

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Get the app

Features

Chillin

Bathrooms

Easy Parking

Family Friendly

Forest

Picnic Area

Romantic

Scenic

Wildflowers

Sunset at Heintooga Overlook Reviews

Have you done this adventure? Be the first to leave a review!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Hemphill Bald

Hemphill Bald is a quintessential Smoky Mountains vantage point and this moderate loop trail leading to it takes you through beautiful forest and rolling hills. This area is incredible in all seasons - wildflowers in the spring, colorful leaves in the fall, and with bare trees in the winter, the vistas along the way open up for even more sweeping views. Start your hike at Polls Gap parking lot...

Barrett Knob Fire Tower

Your hike will start at the base of the Blue Ridge Parkway just a few miles from the start in Cherokee. The trail starts right off of the parkway in a very small easy to miss dirt road. There is a small area to park that then you start your hike up the dirt road right after the gate. The hike to the top is about a half mile. It is a small hike up is pretty steep. When you get to the top you can...

Soco Falls

This double waterfall is located a mile and half off of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Cherokee Indian Reservation. From the parking area, it's a short walk down a well-established trail to the viewing area of the falls. For an even closer view of the falls, you can follow a roped, steep path down to the base of the falls. This area can be slippery, so proceed with caution. In the winter months...

Mingo Falls

Although it is not much of a hike at just 0.3 miles, it is accessible to people of all fitness levels. A climb up a series of stairs leads you to a trail overlooking Mingo creek. You will then find a 20 foot wide bridge which serves as the viewing platform of the falls. If you care to adventure further, feel free to hop your way over some timber and boulders to the base of the waterfall. ...

Explore Cataloochee Valley

History, solitude and wildlife abound in this quiet corner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but getting here is not easy. Take the scenic route via Cove Creek Road from Cosby, TN. Drive 40 miles along the twisting, gravel road to Cataloochee, NC. The scenery along the way is outstanding, but this drive is not for those who are sensitive to motion sickness.After bouncing over rocks and wi...

Abandoned Cessna 414A at Waterrock Knob

This is an AWESOME day hike for anyone looking to get outside for a few hours and see some special views of the blue ridges, as well as check out the abandoned plane crash of a Cessna 414A that happened back in 1983. The remains of the plane are still scattered along the hillside making it a super neat place to explore and photograph. You start from the parking lot of the Waterrock Knob overl...