Picnic site · North Carolina
Cascades Picnic Area
Cascades Picnic Area is a picnic site in North Carolina, at a modelled elevation of 1,089 m. Bald Mountain stands 1,502 m to the north-northwest, 10 miles off. The nearest named place is The Cascades, a waterfall 0.3 miles away. Blue Ridge Parkway runs past it.
What to expect
- Operated by
- Blue Ridge Parkway
How to reach it
Coordinates36.24511, -81.45796
- On the Blue Ridge Parkway, National
- 2.5 mi off the US 421 Scenic Byway
- 10.4 mi off the New River Valley Byway
- 12.1 mi off the Upper Yadkin Way
Overlooks nearby
- Lewis Fork Overlook · 2 mi
- Elk Mountain Overlook · 2 mi
- Stoney Fork Overlook · 3 mi
- Osborne Mountain Overlook · 3 mi
Named places within 25 miles
Peaks
- Tomkins Knob: 1.1 mi
- Wolf Knob: 2.0 mi
- Fire Scale Mountain: 2.1 mi
- Henson Mountain: 2.1 mi
- Benge Knob: 2.6 mi
Parks
- Buck Mountain Community Pond: 4.2 mi
- Staghorn Falls: 4.2 mi
- OutDoor Activity Center (OAC): 4.4 mi
- New River Park: 5.8 mi
- Todd Island Park: 6.8 mi
Waterfalls: 43
- The Cascades: 0.3 mi
- Betsy's Rock Falls: 4.0 mi
- Blue Hole Falls: 7.5 mi
- Dugger Creek Falls: 8.4 mi
- Amadehy Falls: 8.7 mi
Artworks: 32
- Founders Bell: 12.4 mi
- Founders Mall: 12.5 mi
- Aspire: 12.5 mi
- Tetness, the Polar Bear: 12.6 mi
- Transit Candy: 12.6 mi
Attractions: 26
- Jesse Brown Cabin: 0.4 mi
- Cool Springs Baptist Church: 0.4 mi
- Spring House: 0.4 mi
- Foggy Mountain Gem Mine: 11.5 mi
- Ferris Wheel: 11.7 mi
Museums: 15
- Turtle Island Preserve: 6.6 mi
- Forestry Center: 9.4 mi
- Native American Artifacts: 11.8 mi
- Children's Playhouse: 12.0 mi
- Hickory Ridge Living History Museum: 12.1 mi
Gardens: 10
- Elizabeth Young Community Garden: 11.8 mi
- Daniel Boone Native Gardens: 12.1 mi
- Appalachian Roots Garden: 12.4 mi
- Fred Webb Jr. Outdoor Geology Laboratory and Rock Garden: 12.6 mi
- Fred Webb Jr. Outdoor Geology Laboratory and Rock Garden: 12.6 mi
Nature reserves: 8
- Paddy Mountain Plant Conservation Preserve: 12.3 mi
- Appalachian State University Nature Preserve: 13.2 mi
- Smitheys Creek Public Use Area: 13.4 mi
- Tater Hill Lake Basin Habitat Preservation: 14.5 mi
- Annie Cannon Gardens: 14.7 mi
Cliffs: 8
- White Pine Cliffs: 15.5 mi
- Hayes Bluff: 17.8 mi
- Alligator Back: 19.3 mi
- Wildcat Rock: 20.2 mi
- Scheer Bluffs: 23.3 mi
Historic sites: 6
- Historic Dam Site: 10.8 mi
- Earth Day 2011: 12.5 mi
- Watauga County Veterans Memorial: 12.7 mi
- Laura Foster Memorial: 13.5 mi
- Old Blowing Rock Sewage Pump Station: 14.8 mi
Picnic sites: 6
- Mount Jefferson Picnic Area: 11.0 mi
- Elk Knob Picnic Area: 14.4 mi
- Julian Price Memorial Park Picnic Area: 16.7 mi
- Forrest Gump Picnic Area: 23.6 mi
- Cliffside Picnic Area: 23.6 mi
Springs: 2
- Bear Wallow Spring: 21.0 mi
- Shanty Springs: 22.1 mi
Beaches: 1
- Elk Shoals: 8.5 mi
Rest areas: 1
- Watauga County US 221 Rest Area: 15.3 mi
Ghost towns: 1
- Mortimer: 24.7 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 11.4 miles of Cascades Picnic Area. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bald Mountain | NNW 326° | 1,502 m | 10.2 mi |
| Black Mountain | NW 308° | 1,406 m | 11.0 mi |
| Mount Jefferson | N 358° | 1,405 m | 10.9 mi |
| Laurel Knob Mountain | NW 321° | 1,380 m | 9.9 mi |
| Mulatto Mountain | NNW 339° | 1,306 m | 7.6 mi |
| Bentley Knob | SW 235° | 1,256 m | 10.4 mi |
| Tomkins Knob | WSW 254° | 1,245 m | 1.1 mi |
| Rocky Knob | WSW 257° | 1,228 m | 9.3 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:30 | 19:04 | 19:38 |
| June solstice | 06:09 | 20:09 | 20:47 |
| September equinox | 07:14 | 18:50 | 19:24 |
| December solstice | 07:34 | 16:35 | 17:15 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 32 | 34 | 41 | 49 | 58 | 65 | 68 | 67 | 61 | 51 | 41 | 35 |
| Precip in | 4.4 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 5.1 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.2 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Boone 1 SE, 11 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapOpenStreetMap element way/431949569
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