Mount Pisgah and Pisgah Inn

The mountain takes its name from the Biblical peak where a man stood to see what he could not reach. Appropriate — the summit sits at 5,721 feet, and from the small observation deck you're looking at ranges you'll never walk in a lifetime.

George Vanderbilt bought the mountain and the surrounding country in 1897 from Thomas Clingman, using it as a private hunting retreat. His widow Edith sold 86,700 acres to the federal government in 1914. That sale created Pisgah National Forest — the first national forest formed from a private estate. The land had been held; now it was given back.

The trail to the summit is 1.6 miles, moderate difficulty until the final pitch steepens near the top. It starts at an overlook on the west side of the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 407. The view from the summit looks across the national forest Vanderbilt's land became. There's a 339-foot broadcast tower at the peak — the highest television antenna east of the Mississippi. A cable car still runs up the mountain to ferry engineers and equipment to the transmitter building.

The Pisgah Inn sits at roughly 5,000 feet on the Parkway at milepost 408. Built in 1964, it's a modern facility with private porches facing the forest. The dining room serves three meals; the country store sells provisions and keepsakes. The inn operates seasonally. There's a campground at the same milepost — 140 sites, showers available.

The Shut-In Trail, 16 miles long, descends from the area to Biltmore Estate via what was Vanderbilt's old bridle path. It's a National Recreation Trail now. His hunting parties used to ride it; today it's open to anyone willing to walk.