Day Hike 12: South Laurel Fork Road to Basin Cove Overlook
Beginnings, Endings
Distance: 5.3 miles
- Difficulty: Easy. Moderate climbing at the beginning and end.
- Camping: No.
- Land manager: National Park Service.
- Volunteer Task Force Leader: Steven Joines, sjj1@skybest.com.
- Piggyback trail: No.
- Connecting trails: No.
At Basin Cove Overlook there’s no need to worry about where you are or where you’re going.
This section veers away from the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) twice: at the very beginning and at the very end. Otherwise, the BRP is your companion.
The section begins, from the south, with a drop down South Laurel Fork Road to take advantage of a more intimate crossing of Laurel Fork. After crossing the creek you reenter the forest and climb back to the BRP. The trail parallels the road for a half mile before joining it to cross NC 18.
The MST and BRP are allies for much of the next two and a half miles, before it heads up and away from the BRP for the last mile or so, before climbing and crossing the BRP just below the Basin Cove Overlook.
For detailed hiking directions and parking information, download the Segment 5 guide from our Trail Guides page, using the “Primary Trailheads” section to pinpoint the location. You can also visualize the route on our interactive map; click “Day Hikes” to view the endpoints.
