Fryingpan Mountain Lookout Tower

Trails North Carolina Fryingpan Mountain Lookout Tower

North Carolina · Haywood County

Fryingpan Mountain Lookout Tower

Short 1.6-mile round-trip to a historic fire tower.

Rating

Length

1.6 mi

Difficulty

5

County

Haywood

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Tennent Mountain

Connected to Black Balsam, offering high-elevation bald hiking.

Time not available

Black Balsam Knob

5-mile moderate loop over bald summits with expansive views.

Time not available

Mount Pisgah

3-mile round-trip moderate to a summit with observation deck.

Time not available

About This Trail

Climbing a gravel forest road to 5,340 feet in Pisgah National Forest, this route ends at a 70-foot lookout tower offering five stories of panoramic views. Looking Glass Rock, Cold Mountain, and Shining Rock Wilderness spread across the horizon, with morning fog filling the valleys below.

Location

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Coordinates: 35.3488, -82.8792

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Getting There

From Asheville, take the Blue Ridge Parkway south to Milepost 409.6. Park at the gated entrance to Forest Service Road 450 and walk the gravel road 0.75 miles to the Fryingpan Mountain Lookout Tower summit.

Nearby Trails

Tennent Mountain

Connected to Black Balsam, offering high-elevation bald hiking.

Black Balsam Knob

5-mile moderate loop over bald summits with expansive views.

Mount Pisgah

3-mile round-trip moderate to a summit with observation deck.

Eastatoe Creek Trail

Hiking trail within Eastatoe Creek Heritage Preserve

Bill Kimball Trail

Connector trail linking key sections in the Jones Gap system.

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