To get the most out of your vacation days advance planning is essential fun. Enhance the time spent daydreaming about your upcoming trip by reviewing these helpful travel websites.

Area Information
A very active and well maintained website, Welcome to Maggie Valley, developed by the Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce, provides a wealth of information that is updated daily. This website provides local weather reports along with links to live webcams and a critical events calendar. It also provides tips for hikes, scenic drives, and entertainment within minutes of downtown Maggie.

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority provides an extensive overview of activities in the Maggie Valley area. Developed locally by people in the know, it links to activities that are off the beaten path as well as information about the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and local waterfalls.

Guided Hikes
A visit to Maggie Valley/Waynesville would not be complete without a visit to see the elk of Cataloochee Valley. Cataloochee Valley Tours will take you there. April through October the valley is host to a variety of natural beauty. Along with the elk you can see unique wildflowers and birds in April and May and the show of the synchronous fireflies in May and June.

Motorcycle Tours
For motorcyclists or for anyone who wants to find great loop tours in the valley check out America Rides Maps. Wayne Busch, “The Map Guy,” has covered thousands of miles to develop maps that take riders on the most scenic and challenging rides in the area. The website provides custom designed maps, tutorials, and links to Wayne’s blog.

Fly Fishing
For beginners to experience fishermen, the people at Waynesville Fly Shop are your connection to successfully fishing the Haywood County area.

This nationally maintained website Trails.com should be a go to for anyone who enjoys outdoor activities. With detailed information on trail heads and maps for hikers, bicyclists, campers, scenic drivers, Trails.com is an essential resource for planning a visit to Haywood County.

Despite being located on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Mile Marker 458.2, you might say Heintooga Ridge Road is off the beaten trail. Found near the entrance of the Parkway from the North Carolina end, Heintooga Ridge Road links the Blue Ridge with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

During our outing we encountered three elk who had wandered over from the Cataloochee side of the park. Grazing along the side of the ride, the elk provided a great photo opportunity. Along with the elk, a flock of wild turkeys were foraging along the roadside.

After taking advantage of the roadside photo op, we continued on to Flat Creek Trail to take in the view of the Smokies from Heintooga Overlook. The overlook is situated just a few yards from the parking area. The trail head has a lovely picnic area with numerous tables plus a well-maintained convenience station. The overlook has two comfortable benches to enjoy the view. Sunsets and sunrises would be spectacular. The birding opportunities are some of the best in the area with a chance to see Broad-winged Hawk; Ruffed Grouse; Black-billed Cuckoo; Northern Saw-whet Owl; Yellow-bellied Sapsucker; Least Flycatcher.

The road to Cataloochee Valley can be intimidating. While totally doable, the ride takes you from the valley floor on the Jonathan Creek side of Haywood County, NC, up and over Cataloochee Mountain by way of a gravel road, and down the other side to the floor of Cataloochee Valley.

Cataloochee Valley Tours offers a better way. Not only do they provide transportation but also provide a tour conducted by a University of Florida certified naturalist. Cataloochee has much beauty to behold. That beauty can only be enhanced through the perspective of an expert on the valley, its inhabitants, and its history.

Every season has something special to offer. Check out the schedule of activities that vary with the time of year.

Although cold weather dominates the days and nights in Maggie Valley and the surrounding area through January and February, you can still find plenty to do in this mountain friendly place.

In the Snow
Cataloochee Ski Area is still in high gear and should continue making snow through March. Cataloochee offers a FREE beginner lesson with all Cataloochee rentals any non-holiday Monday through Thursday, all season long!! This free lesson is for 1 1/2 hours and you should be present 30 minutes prior to your chosen lesson time to sign up! Lesson times run 9:30, 11:30, 1:30, 3:30, 5:30 and 7:15pm. No excuses. Get out there and give it a try.

Looking for a tamer way to enjoy the snow. Check out Tube World. The experts at Cataloochee Ski Area know how to keep the snow in shape for a perfect tubing experience. Because of the carpet lift that takes you back to the top of the run, you get that much more time to spend tubing. With a dedicated Wee Bowl Snowplay area even the tots can enjoy the snow. Tube World will keep you in the snow from the middle of December to the first of March.

Cold Weather Avoidance
Head on out to the historic Biltmore House in Asheville. With admission discounts through to March 31 when ordering tickets online and 7 days in advance plus kids’ 16 and under admitted free through March 31, this is an indoor activity that guarantees to entertain.

Visit us at Mystic Mountain Cabin in Maggie Valley and ask about winter discounts.

Small town Maggie with a population of around 800 year round residents offers the punch of big tourists areas without the congestion.

Looking for the ideal vacation spot? Asking yourself what Maggie Valley has to offer?

How about minutes away from:

the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
the Blue Ridge Parkway,
the Pisgah National Forest,
the Elk of Cataloochee.

Don’t forget trout fishing in the Mountain Heritage Trout Waters. Check out a map of the actual fishing areas in Maggie.

Move away from the naturalist’s pursuits with the following:

Antiquing around Maggie and Waynesville.
Golfing at the lovely Maggie Valley Club or Lake Junaluska Golf Course just to name a couple of courses.
Great live productions at Eaglenest.

For a great way to check out all the details please go to maggievalley.org . Please stay with us at Mystic Mountain Cabin so you can be where the action is.

Tips
1. Make the most of your long weekend by planning ahead.
2. Confirm travel times with a mapping program.
3. Confirm restaurant times.
4. Click the links below and familiarize yourself with activities in the area.

Leaf season, a wonderful time for a long weekend in The Great Smoky Mountains and surrounding area. Visitors to Maggie Valley, located in the Smokies, can spend a lifetime walking the hiking trails, visiting the antique shops and arts and crafts stores, and taking the spectacular driving tours. But, if you only have a long weekend these outings will give you a real taste of the valley and leave you wanting to return again.

Waterrock Knob for Your First Night*
Located at mile marker 421.2 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Waterrock Knob captures the true beauty of the mountains with 50 mile views of the highest peaks in Smokies. Access this spectacular panorama by driving west through Maggie on US 19 5 miles to the southern entrance to the Parkway. For the ambitious, you can add in a moderate 1.2 mile hike to the top of the 6000+ foot peak. A classic and romantic way to begin your first evening in the valley. On your way back into the valley, Garlic Knots at 3946 Socco Road has great Italian food along with beer and wine. *Waterrock Knob open 7 days a week between late April and October 31.

Cataloochee Valley on Your First Day
For first time visitors a must do includes visiting the Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to see the elk and explore the Boogerman Trail. Access to the valley takes you over a regularly used dirt road, a scenic ride that takes you back in time. Once over the mountain the paved valley road brings you face to face with white tailed-deer, wild turkeys, black bear, and elk. Arrive early to see the elk grazing, then catch the trailhead for Boogerman trail, an easy 4 mile hike that takes you through an old growth forest.

Pisgah Inn for Your Final Day*
Start you final day in the valley with a drive to the Pisgah Inn, located where the first inn was erected in 1919. Before sitting down to enjoy lunch at the Pisgah Restaurant with its panoramic views, hike the Graveyard Fields Trail . This easy 3.2 mile hike takes you to one of the many waterfalls in the area. On your way back to Maggie take a leisurely stroll through Waynesville. *Pisgah Inn is open March 30 through October 31.

Travel Guides
Stay with us at Mystic Mountain and you will find area maps and guide books. Another excellent and reasonably priced resource, America Rides Maps provides custom maps for tours in and around Maggie.