Few places in the Southeastern United States have the ability to steal your breath away in quite the same way as the Linville Gorge in western North Carolina. Considered by many to be one of the last great places on Earth, the Gorge is almost overwhelming in size, scale, and rugged elegance.

The Gorge spans an impressive 12 miles and frames the Linville River with steep walls.
Google Local/Jason Mears
It was, in fact, those unforgiving steep walls on both sides of the Gorge that prevented the landscape from being wiped out by logging companies in the early 1900s.
Flickr/Alex LeSueur
It was just too expensive to retrieve the wood once the trees were downed. As a result, the 10,000 acres that make up the Linville Gorge contain one of the only old growth, virgin forests in the state.

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There are a number of summits and overlooks from which to admire Linville Gorge at all times of the day — from sun up to sun down.
Wikipedia/Jdshepard
Table Rock, Wiseman's View, Dogback Ridge, and Linville Falls are just a few of the many.
At the bottom of the Gorge and roughly 1,400 feet below the rim, the Linville River wriggles gracefully toward the southern end of the Gorge where the surrounding terrain eventually levels off and spills into Lake James.
©Robin Jarvis
It's one thing to view the Gorge from an overlook or a perfect mountain peak. But it's another thing entirely to see the Gorge up close and to view parts of the landscape man just can't easily reach.

To see Linville Gorge like never before, watch the aerial footage below, captured by YouTube user TBcinema:

Those who’ve already fallen in love with Linville Gorge know there just are no words to adequately describe the staggering flood of emotions felt when standing over the Gorge. Witnessing the splendor in person is exhilirating, to say the very least.

If you’re feeling the love for Linville Gorge, too, then where’s your favorite place for the best view? Feel fee to join this love fest in the comments!

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Featured Addresses
Linville Gorge Wilderness, Marion, NC 28752, USA