Skip to content
Byway
Blue Ridge ParkwayAll lookouts
Lookout · Blue Ridge Parkway

Hefner Gap Overlook

National Park Service
Looking south-west from Hefner Gap Overlook. Terrain and imagery at true elevation.
Access
On the byway
Elevation
3,371 ft
View
Southwest · 240°
Light
Best at sunset
Relief
410 ft drop
In view
5 named features
Photos · Real imagery only
Soldiers on the way to the Revolutionary War battle at Kings Mountain passed through Hefner Gap.
NPS photo · Public domain (NPS) · NPS
View of Earth from Skylab 2 . Taken on Kodak B&W infrared film with 700-800 nm bandpass filter using the Skylab Multispectral camera.
Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center · Public domain · source
View of Earth from Skylab 2 . Taken on Kodak B&W infrared film with 800-900 nm bandpass filter using the Skylab Multispectral camera.
Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center · Public domain · source
View of Earth from Skylab 2 . Taken on Kodak Panatomic-X B&W film with 600-700 nm bandpass filter using the Skylab Multispectral camera.
Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center · Public domain · source
View of Earth from Skylab 2 . Taken on Kodak Panatomic-X B&W film with 500-600 nm bandpass filter using the Skylab Multispectral camera.
Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center · Public domain · source
View of Earth from Skylab 2 . Taken on Kodak color infrared film using the Skylab Multispectral camera.
Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center · Public domain · source
In view · Named features

What you’re looking at

Named terrain inside the view from this overlook, nearest first.

  • Jackson Knob3,404 ftsouthwest · 2.5 mi
  • North Cove Valley Overlook2,807 ftwest-southwest · 2.7 mi
  • The Loops Overlook3,078 ftwest-southwest · 3.8 mi
  • Table Rock Overlook (MP 329.8)2,897 ftsouthwest · 4.7 mi
  • Dula Knob3,068 ftwest-southwest · 5.5 mi
When to look · Sun at this latitude

Light

This overlook faces sunset — 30° off square to it.

DateSunriseSunsetGolden hour
March equinox07:3219:4019:06
June solstice06:1320:4820:10
September equinox07:1619:2618:53
December solstice07:3517:1816:39

Local time (America/New_York). Computed for this exact position.

Getting there · Position and access

Where it is

  • Johnson City35.7 mi northwest
  • Hickory36.9 mi east-southeast
  • Asheville39.0 mi west-southwest
← Before it: Heffner Gap OverlookAfter it: Bear Den Overlook →
Loading map…
Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to Hefner Gap Overlook.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

Private beta · Free to join · No card · Invite when a spot opens

From the source · Verbatim

Hefner Gap Overlook · National Park Service

Hefner Gap offers a scenic view of Linville Mountain and Honeycutt Mountain to the east and north. It is also an intersection of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Overmountain Victory Trail, one of the roads used by the Overmountain men going from the west to the Revolutionary War battle at Kings Mountain in 1780. A section of the trail is available for hiking on the opposite side of the parkway. Apple trees in a small orchard on the south side of the overlook are a reminder of the people who farmed in the gap before the building of the Parkway. A signboard tells about the importance of the apple.  In the fall, Hefner Gap is an excellent area for observing migrating birds. Check the conditions of the area before you visit.

Read it at National Park Service →
Common questions

How high is Hefner Gap Overlook?

Hefner Gap Overlook sits at about 3,371 feet (1,027 m).

What can you see from Hefner Gap Overlook?

From Hefner Gap Overlook: Jackson Knob (SW, 2.5 mi); North Cove Valley Overlook (WSW, 2.7 mi); The Loops Overlook (WSW, 3.8 mi); Table Rock Overlook (MP 329.8) (SW, 4.7 mi).

Is Hefner Gap Overlook better at sunrise or sunset?

Sunset. The land falls away from Hefner Gap Overlook toward the sunset, so at sunrise the light is behind you. Exact times shift through the year; the page shows the current window.

What is the nearest town to Hefner Gap Overlook?

Johnson City, 36 miles NW of Hefner Gap Overlook.

What is the next lookout after Hefner Gap Overlook?

Bear Den Overlook is the next surfaced lookout along the same route after Hefner Gap Overlook.

Drive to Hefner Gap Overlook with Byway

Byway plans the scenic way there — real places along Blue Ridge Parkway, real weather, zero hallucinations — and hands the turns to the navigation you already use.

Plan a drive to this lookout →Plan this with Byway AI
On these byways · Drive past it

Byways with this lookout

Community · From people who stood here

Locals make it Verified.

Hefner Gap Overlook — confirmed, rated, and photographed by people who actually pulled over. A local confirmation is what upgrades a lookout from Discovered to Verified. Zero hallucinations.

Confirmed by locals

No local confirmations yet. Stood here? Yours is the one that upgrades this lookout to Verified.

Ratings

No ratings yet. Stood at this lookout? Be the first to rate it.

No written reviews yet.

Field notes

No field notes yet. Know the gate hours or the best pull-in? Leave the note you wish you'd had.

Photos

No photos yet.

Sign in to confirm this lookout, rate it, add photos, and leave field notes.

Nearby · Same byway

More lookouts on Blue Ridge Parkway

Nearby · The Atlas

Named places near this lookout