Area Photo Opportunities

Western North Carolina is blessed with a multitude of photographic opportunities. In fact, a primary reason for selecting Brevard as a location for Smoky Mountain Photo Fest is because of all the great photo ops nearby. To help you plan and gain the most from your Photo Fest experience, we’ve listed a few of the better photo opportunities that are within reasonable driving distance of Brevard.

All attendees will receive our special e-book Smoky Mountains Photo Fest Photography Locations, which will provide more information and directions to all these sites, plus many more.

Asheville

Metropolitan Asheville might not be an ideal location for nature photography, but it has a lot to offer photographers who like to broaden their views beyond wild spaces. The downtown area is vibrant with outdoor cafes, street art and striking architectural scenes, while the River Arts District is the perfect spot for shooting gritty urban scenes and exceptionally artistic graffiti.

Biltmore Estate

George Vanderbilt’s magnificent home and gardens need no introduction. A great thing about Biltmore for photographers is that you can explore the gardens and grounds at your own pace, spending as much time with each subject as you like. And with restaurants and a winery on the estate, you could easily spend an entire day and evening here.

Blue Ridge Parkway

A 469-mile-long photo opportunity is what we like to call the Blue Ridge Parkway, and many of those miles are within easy access to Brevard. In fact, some of our favorite locations for photographing sunrises, sunsets, night skie, and autumn scenery are along the section of the Parkway closest to Brevard.

Cataloochee Valley

This is a “must-see” location in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for those who like old cabins, barns and churches, and it’s an especially good place to photograph wildlife, such as elk, turkeys and deer. Arrive early to see the elk and catch the morning fog.

Cradle of Forestry

If you enjoy looking back in time and photographing the past, Cradle of Forestry is a place you’ll want to visit. The site features cabins, an old sawmill, a Shay Engine and logging train with loader, schoolhouse, and other various structures associated with the first School of Forestry in America. There is also a first-class visitor center here with lots of interesting displays. Cradle of Forestry is in the heart of Pisgah National Forest, just up the road from Brevard.

Cullasaja River Gorge

The seven-mile-long Cullasaja River Gorge, near Highlands, is a photographer’s playground, especially if you like shooting waterfalls. Bridal Veil Falls, Dry Falls, Quarry Falls and Cullasaja Falls are beside the road and easily accessed. Dry and Cullasaja are among the more photogenic waterfalls in the state.

DuPont State Recreational Forest

Just a few miles from Brevard, DuPont features six scenic waterfalls that are easily accessed by hiking trails, including the remarkable High Falls, Triple Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. The latter two were featured in the movies The Last of the Mohicans and Hunger Games.

Gorges State Park

Waterfalls State Park might be a more fitting name considering that the park contains dozens of spectacular waterfalls. Most of them require difficult hikes, but two of them, Rainbow Falls and Turtleback Falls, are reached by a moderate trail. Rainbow is a North Carolina Top 10 waterfall on Kevin’s list.

Graveyard Fields

One of our favorite locations for photographing autumn color, this area along the Blue Ridge Parkway features expansive mountain vistas, waterfalls and scenic forest views.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The incomparable Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the southeast’s premier photography destination, is located only 90 minutes from Brevard. It has everything outdoor photographers love: grand landscapes, beautiful waterfalls and streams, abundant wildlife, countless wildflowers, and historic cabins, mills, and other structures.

Headwaters State Forest

Not as well-known as some of the other nearby areas, Headwaters, only 15 minutes from Brevard, is a great place for getting away from the crowds. It features three waterfalls, with one of them, Reese Place Falls, among the finest in the region.

Land of Waterfalls

Transylvania County, in which Brevard is located, bills itself as the Land of Waterfalls, boasting some 250 falls. Actually, there are over 500 waterfalls in the area! Many of these are highly photogenic and easily accessed. And that’s just in the Brevard region. The surrounding counties of Haywood, Jackson and Macon contain many hundreds of additional waterfalls.

North Carolina Arboretum

The North Carolina Arboretum, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville, offers acres of cultivated gardens and miles of trails featuring some of the most beautiful, botanically diverse plants in the region.

Pisgah National Forest

Bordering Brevard, the Pisgah District of Pisgah National Forest encompasses some 150,000 acres of opportunities for photographers. We’ve listed a few locations within the district here, but if you drive the roads and hike the trails, you’ll find countless other things to see and photograph.

West Fork Pigeon River Gorge

Beautiful mountain views and waterfalls characterize this stretch of NC 215 that has been called “Yosemite of the East.” You don’t even have to get out of your car to photograph some of the waterfalls and landscape scenes, though we recommend that you do. This is one of Kevin’s favorite places in North Carolina to photograph autumn scenery.

White Squirrels

The rumor is true. Brevard is full of white squirrels! The squirrels are not albinos, but rather a white variant of the eastern gray squirrel. Everyone wants to see and photograph them, and you’ll have a good opportunity during Photo Fest. The best place to look for them is on the campus of Brevard College. You might also see one on the campus of Brevard Music Center, the Photo Fest venue.