1997 Map of Sam Knob

About this map

Richland Balsam towers over this high-elevation landscape where the Blue Ridge Parkway winds through the heart of the Southern Appalachians. Mapping by the Tennessee Valley Authority and the U.S. Geological Survey reveals a complex network of ridges and water gaps at the junction of Haywood, Jackson, and Transylvania counties. The area is defined by massive tracts of public land, including the Nantahala National Forest and the Shining Rock Wilderness Area, which preserve the headwaters of the West Fork Pigeon River and the Nantahala River. This terrain is punctuated by distinctive geological features like Devils Courthouse and waterfalls such as Courthouse Falls and Dill Falls. The dense concentration of named knobs and gaps, from Reinhart Knob to Buck Knob, illustrates a wilderness largely untouched by industrial development, managed instead for conservation and recreation through the Pisgah Game Land.