Parking
Use the designated parking at the Mount Mitchell State Park Office near Blue Ridge Parkway MP 355. Pick up a park map there before starting.
Overview
About Old Mitchell Trail
Why go
- Earn the 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell summit on foot
- Cool spruce–fir forest and observation-area views
Heads up
- Rocky, rooty footing with steady climbing
- High-elevation weather can turn cold, wet, and windy
This is a 4-mile out-and-back from the Mount Mitchell Park Office to the summit area, with about 2 miles each way and roughly two to three hours on the trail. I’d choose it if you want to earn the 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell summit on foot instead of driving straight to the top.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Blue Ridge Parkway map
Full mapElevation6,094–6,600 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Blue Ridge Parkway alerts
- ClosureNorth Carolina Helene-related closuresAvoid the closed Parkway section from MP 344.2–355.3; recreation of any kind is prohibited there.Official details
- ClosureVirginia Parkway closures and detourFollow the signed detour around the closed James River Bridge and avoid the closed Roanoke Mountain Loop. - James River Bridge (MP 63.5–63.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Guide
Your drive to Old Mitchell Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Blue Ridge Parkway. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Blue Ridge Parkway audio tourRecorded for this area
Ridge Junction Overlook and Its Close-Up ViewListen
“The pullout you're coming to is Ridge Junction Overlook, located right by the road that leads to Mount Mitchell State Park. The view here is a direct, close-up look at the Black Mountains.”
Plays on the road 2 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Hemphill Spring: Birth of a Mountain Creek
- Walker Knob Overlook and the Big Butt Trail
- Big Tom Wilson and the Search for Dr. Mitchell
- Green Knob Overlook and a Hidden Fire Tower Hike
- 277 audio storiesacross Blue Ridge Parkway’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Elk, White-tailed Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 112 trails, 232 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…We knew we wanted to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. The narration was impeccably timed. The facts and info provided were meaningful. Without it, the trip would not have been near as awesome.”
Trail guide
Hiking Old Mitchell Trail
Follow the yellow circlesStart beside the Park Office and follow yellow-circle blazes uphill through spruce–fir forest.
Start beside the Park Office and follow yellow-circle blazes uphill through spruce–fir forest. The trail finishes at the Mount Mitchell observation area, where clear weather can open broad views across the Black Mountains. Keep the map handy at junctions with Camp Alice, Commissary, and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
What the climb feels likeThe effort is steady rather than technical, but expect rocky, rooty tread, steps, and wet or…
The effort is steady rather than technical, but expect rocky, rooty tread, steps, and wet or muddy footing after rain. At this elevation, weather can feel much colder and windier than in Asheville. The high-country forest and summit payoff give the walk more character than its mileage suggests.
Plan the walkUse designated parking at the Mount Mitchell State Park Office near Blue Ridge Parkway MP 355…
Use designated parking at the Mount Mitchell State Park Office near Blue Ridge Parkway MP 355 and bring warm layers and rain protection. This is hiking-only and not ADA accessible. Check official park and Parkway notices before leaving, then take your summit photos from the observation area rather than stopping in the trail corridor.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Blue Ridge Parkway
1,208 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
1,020 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
2,257 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
200 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
1,126 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
255 sightingsRed-tailed HawkMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Blue Ridge Parkway. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
