I was trying to figure out a place to catch a sunset and wandered by this visitor center. It should…read morebe noted that at this altitude, visitor center does not imply running water, and the building is closed well before the sun sets. There is a parking and picnic area, a short trail up to the peak of the mountain that connects to other trails, and ample opportunity to catch a view. I was surprised at the prevalence of wildlife. I'm told the grass was tick-heavy so I avoided it as a frequent tick-borne illness sufferer. Wandering up a bit of trail yielded a snake and a population of spitbugs colonizing the local plants. The views in this area are uninterrupted over a wide area of wilderness, and weather-permitting, provide a fantastic experience. This is past the peak visitation areas on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but it's well worth it to keep driving until you get here.

A super challenging (very very steep) short hike up a tall knob. A longer hike if, like me, you…read morestarted at the trailhead at the Fork Ridge Overlook farther up the parkway. The views are spectacular, the hike is challenging (even for fit and athletic folks). Take your time, but the climb is worth it. And I definitely recommend the longer trail if you are up for the hike!

We stayed here for a week and loved listening to the rushing creek and watching the stars at night…read morefrom the hot tub. It was a perfect place for our family to vacation and we really enjoyed exploring all of the sights along the Blue Ridge Parkway. We even got Elk Slobbered by a very loving, yet large mammal. We fell in love with the area and specifically with this exceptionally cute and private cabin. So much so that we found out it was for sale and bought it two weeks ago. It has been a great experience adding our personal touch to make it the cabin of our dreams. My wife and daughter and I hope you will love it as much as we have. It is truly a remarkable location and convenient to so many of the wonderful things that this section of the country offers for relaxation and recreation.

Excellent place for white water rafting for the family! Been here every year since 2019 and a few…read moreyears back. I usually come every summer and the owners are super nice and accommodating. There is a mini store inside perfect for last minute needs like water, drinks, snacks, t shirts, gears, sunscreen, hats. Great for souvenirs! Definitely recommend!

They really know their stuff about river rafting. We took the young children for a day of exciting…read moreriver rafting and it did not disappoint. They provided everything including instructions and directions. The children thoroughly enjoyed the rafting. I highly recommend this group for your river rafting experience.

The atmosphere is polite & friendly, but communication is not their forte, and a number of our…read morepre-arrival questions were not answered accurately. The lake is lovely and the fireworks were stunning! The Bluegrass Concert was quite good. However, make sure you get an exact quote of everything you will be paying for! The advertised all inclusive $579 "4th of July Package" with many events, attractions and free meals actually cost over $1100! The ad was opaque enough as to seem, in hindsight, deceptive. We did not add anything extra, but the undeclared hidden costs included: occupancy tax, room tax, food tax, ticket tax and daily 18% service fee for the FREE breakfast buffet. Whether the opaqueness was intentional or a major oversight, I cannot say, but buyer beware! FYI: Our room was fine, but was never cleaned in our 4-day stay, which did not bother us, but you may feel otherwise). I inquired ahead of time as to GF options and was assured that the kitchen is sensitive to food issues and offers plenty of GF options. Not true. The free hot breakfast was fine, but had no variety day to day. They ran out of coffee repeatedly (long wait for more), the baked goods looked yummy, but no GF options. The young people working the buffet were the only exception to the otherwise very pleasant staff. They appeared to hate their job. The "Southern B-B-Q" dinner featured hamburgers and limited uninspired sides (no GF). The "picnic lunch" was mediocre, with a very long wait to get a hamburger. A few more bits of info: Parking near the Terrace hotel was woefully inadequate. The elevators broke down at least 3 different times due to "over heating", so climbing stairs to the 6th floor was an issue. The ice machine on our floor remained broken for our entire stay. The weather was beastly hot (obviously not their fault). The extra activites (kayaks, paddle boards, Swan boats) were all for an unadvertized fee. The swimming pool had an occupancy limit and was at capacity, so you had to wait until people left to be able to enter the fenced pool area. The mini golf was free - and was also tiny and in the worst condition of any I have ever seen. The wooden sides of the boxes were literally crumbling apart, and the "green" had large wrinkles and ridges creating an extra challenge. Not surpirsingly, there was no waiting line to play. BTW, our non-lake-view room faced a mass of unkempt bushes and weeds. The "lake view", for which we could have paid extra, had an expansive view of the black flat roof of the level below with the lake in the distance. (Save your money - you can sit in the comfortable lounge and view the lake). Lastly, our 7.5 hour drive took 11 hours both ways (trying each of the only 2 options we had). Few routes will take you to the lake, and damage from Hurricane Helene has significantly impacted travel in that area, so depending on where you live, you may be in for a rough time reaching your destination. If you don't mind the drive, don't care much about food options and quality, and are content to simply sit outside and admire the lake, this may be a good place for you. We will not be back.

What a spectacular hidden gem right outside of the Asheville/Waynesville area. This is such a…read morebeautiful place with amazing views and photo opps. There is a trail that takes you around the full length of the lake, a great way to get in daily steps while sightseeing. It's in the center of a neighborhood with stunning houses. There's a garden along the trail with a variety of flowers and trees. There's a community pool where you can swim daily for a fee, and a place to kayak, canoe, go boating, etc. Great place to take the family, go out with friends, or to spend the day alone in reflection.

Yesterday was our second summer rafting the river with this company. The river is perfect for…read morerafting with kids. We had so much fun last summer that we requested the same guide again this summer. Douglas was great! He even played some of his music for us to enjoy afterwards. Thank you for another amazing day!

Highly recommended for groups with all ages. Took my 4 year old and my parents on a guided trip. It…read morewas a great time and my daughter loved it. She had fun on the rapids and was pretty entertained throughout. Our guide, Dave, was great and so was the rest of the staff. We will definitely be coming back!

Wow - Lake Junaluska has so much to offer…read more Lake Junaluska Outfitters has many amenities including a pool that overlooks the lake and kayaks to rent. There's tennis courts and plenty of parking. This place is incredible! There's a maze, gazebo, bridge for cars to cross from one side of the lake to the other, boardwalk and the most fragrant rose garden lining the sidewalk. The entire paved trail is about 6-7 miles total. Right now, the roses aren't blooming as frequently since it's not the right time, but I was so lucky to still be able to enjoy the few that were! They also planted sunflowers and there are rocking chairs outside one of the buildings, so you can sit back with mountain views & take in the cool weather (64F is much better compared to 108F in Tampa, FL)!

My husbeastie and I are up in Sapphire Valley, spending our week in my family's time share. The…read moreweather has been absolutely fabulous, so we decided to do something outdoorsy. As a teen, I would tube down this river so I offered this as an option to the man and he agreed. Given that he's a larger man, tubing was out, but a single person kayak, called a ducky, would be fine. I opted for the same thing. It was a touch more expensive vs opting for "Extreme tubing" but it was a lot more fun. We both got kitted out in our life vest, got our paddles and into the van and were driven to the Dillsboro drop off site, we were given pointers of where to go and what to look out for. The staff was great! The water was cool but not terribly cold, the river wasn't crowded for the height of summer and we really enjoyed ourselves. It was about 2 hours in the water from the time we put in until we took out. Yes, we did get stuck on a few rocks but we managed to get off of them without dumping ourselves into the drink. We certainly got an upper body workout from using our paddles!

We went on a Sunday morning. They don't do rafts on…read moreSunday. But they do tubes and kayak. We decided the way to go was tubing. The staff was sooooo friendly. We totally recommend this place. The water was a little low. But still it was enough for us to relax and float. And have a little fun at the drops. It took about 2 hrs. To go down the river. And at the stopping point, we didn't have to wait. Some one was there waiting for us to drive us back to our car. $15.00 per person for tubing.

Kids have been coming here for years. It's a fun place. Huge wooden play place with balance beams…read moreand monkey bars and such. Swings, tire swings, a basketball court. The volleyball court is in disrepair though. And sadly the paper mill up the road makes the air smell bad depending on which way the wind blows. But we've enjoyed it quite a bit for half a decade or more.

this park was so cute and completely fenced in which is amazing! it was a little busy but was big…read moreenough that it wasn't a big deal. there are bathrooms and a pavilion with picnic tables as well as a sand pit and basketball court. my daughters loved the wooden structures!