Discover 4 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Three Ridges Wilderness (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Soco Gap, Rockfish Gap, and Buck Creek Gap. Also, be sure to include Craven Gap in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Three Ridges Wilderness (Virginia).
Table of Contents
Soco Gap
Soco Gap is a mountain pass between the Plott Balsam Range, to its south, and the Balsam Mountains, to its north. Also known as Ahalunun'yi, meaning "Ambush Place" or Uni'halu'na, meaning "where they ambushed;" named after the occasion, probably in the mid 1700s, when the Cherokees ambushed a party of invading Shawnees, all of which were killed except for one, who was sent back to tell his people of the Cherokee victory.
The gap is the eastern point of the Qualla Boundary, which marks the territory held as a land trust for the federally recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The gap also separates Haywood and Jackson counties and separates the river basins to the French Broad River and Little Tennessee.
U.S. Route 19 (Soco Road) traverses through the gap, which connects Cherokee and Maggie Valley. The Blue Ridge Parkway also passes through the gap, providing scenic views along the adjacent ridge lines.[1]
Rockfish Gap
Wind gap in Virginia. Rockfish Gap is a wind gap located in the Blue Ridge Mountains between Charlottesville and Waynesboro, Virginia, United States, through Afton Mountain, which is frequently used to refer to the gap.
Joining the Shenandoah Valley to the Piedmont region of the state, it is the site of the mountain crossing of Interstate 64, U.S. Route 250, and the former Blue Ridge Railroad which later became part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and is currently part of the CSX line. With an elevation of about 1,900 feet (580 m), it is one of the lowest gaps between Manassas Gap and the James River. Rockfish Gap lies along a drainage divide between southeast-flowing streams that drain to the James River and northwest-flowing streams in the Shenandoah River system.
The scenic Skyline Drive, which runs north through Shenandoah National Park to Front Royal, and the Blue Ridge Parkway, which runs south to a point near Cherokee, North Carolina, each generally following the mountain ridgetops, meet a short distance north of Rockfish Gap (such that the roadway on the bridge over the gap is actually part of the Blue Ridge Parkway). The Appalachian Trail also passes through the gap.[2]
Buck Creek Gap
Buck Creek Gap is a mountain pass along the Blue Ridge Mountains. NC 80 connects with the Blue Ridge Parkway at the gap, where it travelers can go either towards Burnsville, Marion, Mount Mitchell or Little Switzerland. A scenic overlook is located at the gap, along NC 80; which is sometimes also used as a staging area for motorcycle enthusiasts. The gap is also along the Eastern Continental Divide and the McDowell–Yancey county line.[3]
Craven Gap
Craven Gap is a mountain pass between Peach Knob and Rice Knob, part of the Elk Mountains and Great Craggy Mountains. NC 694 connects with the Blue Ridge Parkway at the gap, where it provides direct access to downtown Asheville. The gap also has trails for hikers and is a popular bicycle rest area.[4]