Craggy Gardens

The view from the pinnacle at Craggy Gardens, NC is spectacular. It’s an easy climb up a well worn path reinforced with stones and timbers. It takes about 30 minutes to drive to the trailhead from the Blue Ridge Parkway just east of Asheville and then about 30 minutes to reach the summit. That’s if your companion doesn’t stop every few feet to capture an unusual flower with her camera. The gardens in the name must refer to the variety of wildflowers growing along the path abuzz with what appear to be little bumble bees and honey bees.

We were welcomed to the pinnacle by a charming volunteer named Matthew, who explained that we were looking down onto the Asheville Watershed, an important source of water for surrounding areas. Matthew turned out to be a kindred spirit from St. Petersburg. He graduated from Boca Ciega High a year after me and recently moved to Swannanoa. We passed through Swannanoa on the way to the Red Rocker Inn in Black Mountain and I could see how one would be tempted by its lush beauty.