The drive up to Mt. Mitchell State Park includes a 16-mile stretch on NC-80.  If you have a performance vehicle such as a BMW, NC-80 is one of the best roads in the country to drive.  The route to the park also includes a short section on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which offers fantastic, classic Appalachian vistas.  The Black Mountains are visible as you near Rt. 128, and there was snow on the ground at this point during my journey.

When I arrived at the entrance to Mt. Mitchell State Park, I found that 128 was closed!  Shocked and horribly frustrated at my bad luck with this peak, I called the park service to see what was going on.  Fortunately, the road was only temporarily closed so that rangers could inspect 128 for ice.  After about 45 minutes of waiting at the park entrance, the rangers drove up in their truck and removed the “Road Closed” sign.  I was on my way at last.

The road up to the summit had some slippery patches, and a fair amount of snow, but I didn’t have too much trouble, and made it up to the summit parking area in about ten minutes.  From the parking area, it is a 0.1 mile walk to the summit up a paved path.  I hiked up to the observation deck, which offered more pretty views of the surrounding mountains. 

After snapping a few photographs and briefly exploring the summit area, I headed back to the car, and descended to the park entrance.  From there, I had another fun drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway and NC-80.  I arrived back in Marion about an hour later, this time just passing through as I headed off toward Anniston, Alabama, my next destination.