Fifty-Mile Fridays: Wiseman’s View

The Carolinas never cease to amaze us.

From the highest peak east of the Mississippi River to the marshes of the Lowcountry, our area is packed with interesting places - some well known and others less so. It’s up to you to get out and find them.

That’s why we’re happy to introduce you to Fifty Mile Fridays. First, what’s a better time for a roadtrip than the weekend? Second, we’ve been looking around and have been amazed to notice there’s so much to see and do within 50 miles of one of our stores.

So, on most Fridays, we’re going to give you an idea of somewhere to get out and visit. They’ll always be within 50 miles of one of our locations (and further from others. Your mileage will literally vary), and we encourage you to stop by and see us when you go, or on your way back. But most importantly, we want you to get out there and find out everything our area has to offer.

Standing in our Foothills store in Hudson, N.C., you’d likely never realize your fewer than 50 miles from what’s sometimes called “The Grand Canyon of the East.”

But that’s exactly what you’ll find at Wiseman’s View, an observation in the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area of the Pisgah National Forest. There are two observation areas perched on a cliff at about 3,400 feet of elevation. Around 1,500 feet below lies the Linville River, and directly across the deepest gorge in the eastern United States are the twin peaks of Hawksbill and Table Rock mountains. The view across the gorge is stunning.

You’d be a wise man (see what we did there?) to put it on your list of places to visit. But that’s not at all where the name originates. What’s the real story? There are a couple. We’ll let you decide.

One tale is pretty straightforward. It allows that Wiseman’s View is named for William Wiseman, one of the first white settlers of the area in the 1700s.

The second, though, is a tale we’d love to believe. It ascribes the naming of Wiseman’s View to farmer Lafayette “Uncle Fate” Wiseman, who grazed his cattle in the area in the 1800s. He contributed to the lore of the Brown Mountain Lights.

Wait, what are the Brown Mountain Lights? We’re glad you asked.

They’re a series of ghost lights that have been reported sporadically for many years near Brown Mountain, from several locations in Burke County. Some of the earliest reports came from Cherokee and Catawba Indians, with early settlers and Civil War soldiers echoing those reports. Thousands have seen them through the years, and the lights have sparked the imagination of author Jules Verne, THREE government investigations, any number of private searches, and are often researched by students at Appalachian State University. They were featured in an episode of “The X-Files”, a sci-fi thriller called “Alien Abduction”, and countless tales throughout the years, including the one told by the Catawba and Cherokee, and by Uncle Fate.

In those stories, the lights are mystical lanterns used by spirits forever searching for those who are lost.

Or they could just be headlights on a train.

However Wiseman’s View got its name, it’s well worth a visit. And if you go at night, look out for the lights.

HOW TO GET THERE FROM HARRISON’S - FOOTHILLS

Turn right onto US-321 N 3.4 mi

Take the exit toward US-64 W/NC-18 S/Morganton 0.7 mi

Continue onto Southwest Blvd 4.2 mi

Turn left onto US-64 W/Morganton Blvd SW 1.3 mi

Turn right onto Beecher Anderson Rd 1.3 mi

Turn left onto Abington Rd 5.4 mi

Turn left onto NC-90 W 0.8 mi

Turn left onto Adako Rd 4.2 mi

Continue onto Brown Mountain Beach Rd 4.1 mi

Turn right onto NC-181 N 14.1 mi

Turn left onto NC-183 N 3.8 mi

Turn left onto Old N C Hwy 105/Old North Carolina 105 3.9 mi

Turn left onto Wiseman's Vw 0.3 mi

Wiseman's View Scenic Overlook, Marion, NC 28752