05/14/2026
Looking for a perfect picnic spot on the Blue Ridge Parkway? I highly suggest the Buck Spring Lodge Overlook. This is at milepost 407.6, and it is a NPS Historic Site, formerly the site of George W. Vanderbilt's hunting lodge. He would stock the forest with wildlife (bear, deer, and turkeys) and streams with fish for the hunting pleasure of his guests. They would walk up from the Biltmore main house using the 'Shut-In' trail, aptly named for the feeling of being surrounded by local rhododendron trees en route to the Lodge. Meanwhile, his staff would haul the guests' trunks up to the lodge. Many U.S. dignitaries stayed at the Lodge, and back in the day, it eventually had electricity, a telephone, and the modern comforts of the day. Some of the ruins remain, but it was sold to the NPS after Edith Vanderbilt's death, and the upkeep became too great, so it was torn down. The parking lot has a sweet staircase that leads to a great overlook of the valley and contains some visible ruins. (You can purchase a sandwich at the Pisgah Inn To-Go Shop just a few mins down the road.)
