About Lickstone Overlook (MP 458.9)
Less than a mile south of the Heintooga Ridge Road turnoff, the Parkway slips to the west side of the ridge and a pull-off opens at milepost 458.9. The Lickstone Overlook faces west, across the deep drainage of the Raven Fork toward the Great Smoky Mountains.
The view
From the pull-off the land drops away in forested folds, with the Smokies main crest filling the horizon about ten miles off. At roughly 5,150 feet, you look slightly down on the first ridges, which makes the layers easy to count. In the last hour of daylight the sun drops into the western ridges and the nearest slopes go dark while the far ones glow.
The place is named for Lickstone Ridge, which runs down toward the Cherokee reservation. The name goes back to the practice of putting out salt for livestock.
Visiting
- Location: Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 458.9, about 10 miles from the Oconaluftee end and a few minutes from Soco Gap.
- Time to allow: 10 minutes.
- Facilities: none.
- Road status: the Parkway's closures page showed all sections from milepost 400 to 469 open on October 22, 2026. Winter ice closes parts of the Parkway without much notice.
Nearby stops
Heading south, Bunches Bald Overlook (459.5) is next. Heading north, you pass the Heintooga spur (458.2) and Plott Balsam Overlook (457.9), then Soco Gap and the Maggie Valley overlooks. You can string these together in an hour. The stretch between Waterrock Knob and the Oconaluftee end is among the quietest parts of the Parkway, so don't expect a visitor center or restroom until Waterrock Knob, about seven miles north.
The best months are October, when color moves down the ridges, and May, when the flame azaleas bloom on the nearby balds. For more on the Parkway, see the Blue Ridge Parkway site.