Monarch Butterfly Viewing Areas in the Blue Ridge Smoky Mountains

During the autumn-fall seasons in the mountains, meadows and fields are ideal settings for viewing monarch butterflies, especially those areas that contain plants like asters and goldenrod. Monarch sighting are witnessed throughout all the Blue Ridge Smoky Mountains during the month of September and into October.

Many of the high mountainous areas of Tennessee, North Georgia, Up Country South Carolina and Western North Carolina are more abundantly visited than others. Many of these long distance travelers are especially fond of the higher elevations along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Some of the more popular viewing areas for monarch butterflies throughout the Blue Ridge Smoky Mountains are; Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park along the western shoreline of Lake Lure at the mouth of the Hickory Nut Gorge in western Rutherford County North Carolina; has been a popular viewing area for monarch butterflies.

Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park

Cherry Cove Overlook south of Mount Pisgah on the Blue Ridge Parkway

The Cherry Cove Overlook south of Mount Pisgah on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina milepost 415.7 west of Asheville and east of Highway 276, draw a number of monarchs to the area.

Monarch Butterflies do have favorite gathering places along the Parkway yet there's an abundance of monarchs that can be sighted just about anywhere along the high country of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  A few places to check out are Double Top Mountain Overlook at Balsam Gap near the junction of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Route 215 on the southern boarder of Haywood County and the northwest corner of Transylvania County and northeastern corner of Jackson County North Carolina. The Mountain to Sea Trail runs through this area. Doughton Park at Bluff Mountain along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina in northern corner of Wilkes County just south of Ashe and Alleghany Counties is another prime spot. Closest town is about 18- miles away in Sparta in Alleghany County.

Table Rock in the rugged Linville Gorge Wilderness Area

Table Rock a popular rock-climbing region and monarch butterfly viewing area in the rugged Linville Gorge Wilderness Area of Burke County, with Avery County to the north and McDowell and Mitchell Counties to the west.

This area is also located along the Mountain to Sea Trail. To find Table Rock exit Interstate 40 at exit 105 going north through Morganton follows signs to Route 181 north. At the first Pisgah National Forest Table Rock Picnic Area sign, turn left onto gravel road. The county seat of Burke County is in the town of Morganton roughly 12 miles away.

We would like to continue adding to this list, so if you have a special place in the Blue Ridge and/or Smoky Mountains that you go to view the Monarch Migration, please email publishers@theblueridgehighlander.com and we will share it with our readers.

Nature's Pilgrimage...The Monarch Migration

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