Skip to content
Mount Mitchell State Park, Burnsville, NC

Photo: Two Hearted River, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & OutdoorsOutdoor AdventureIconic

Mount Mitchell State Park

Drive almost to the top of the highest point east of the Mississippi, then walk a short paved path to the summit observation deck.

2388 N.C. 128, Burnsville, NC 28714 (off the Blue Ridge Parkway) · Burnsville, NC

About Mount Mitchell State Park

Mount Mitchell, at 6,684 feet, is the highest point east of the Mississippi River, and this 1915 park was North Carolina's first state park. From the summit parking lot a short, steep paved path climbs to an observation deck with views in every direction. Easy trails wander through Fraser fir forest, and longer ones follow the ridge to other 6,000-foot peaks. Day use is free; the park is reached only from the Asheville side of the Blue Ridge Parkway, with no gas stations on the way.

  • #state park
  • #mountain summit
  • #blue ridge parkway
  • #hiking
  • #observation deck

What's around here?

The closest stops to Mount Mitchell State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Museums

    Museum of North Carolina Minerals

    Check prices

    A Blue Ridge Parkway museum showing the region's mineral resources and mining history through hands-on exhibits.

    14 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Museums
    Local Gem

    Folk Art Center

    Check prices

    Watch Appalachian artisans at work, browse craft galleries and shop America's oldest craft shop at milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

    16 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Iconic

    Blue Ridge Parkway

    No admission fee

    Drive a 469-mile mountain road along the Blue Ridge, stopping at overlooks, trails and visitor centers.

    18 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums

    Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center

    No admission fee

    Asheville museum dedicated to preserving and exploring the legacy of Black Mountain College, a influential experimental school.

    19 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Outdoor Adventure

    Lake James State Park

    No admission fee

    Swim from a sandy lake beach, ride mountain bike loops and camp at paddle-in sites on a big Blue Ridge foothills lake east of Asheville.

    21 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Chimney Rock State Park

    $25–$50

    Mountain park overlooking Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure, known for its towering rock spire.

    22 mi awayMore like this