Flat Top and Fallingwater Cascades Trailheads: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Blue Ridge Parkway – Ridge District, National Park Service
UGA-CED Cultural Landscape Laboratory and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.. 2014. Flat Top and Fallingwater Cascades Trailheads: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Blue Ridge Parkway – Ridge District, National Park Service. Cultural Landscapes Inventory Report. 975886. NPS Southeast Regional Office. Southeast Regional Office/CLI Database
The Peaks of Otter Flat Top and Fallingwater Cascades Trailheads component landscape, one of eight component landscapes of the Peaks of Otter developed area, is located near Wilkerson Gap, Virginia, approximately two miles northeast of the Peaks of Otter Visitor Center. The component landscape is comprised of two designated parkway overlooks: the Fallingwater Cascades parking area at milepost 83.1 and the Flat Top Trail parking area at milepost 83.5. The Flat Top Trail Overlook was developed circa 1957. The Fallingwater Cascades Trail Overlook was developed circa 1965, with an exit road added to the original dead-in design, likely prior to 1971. Overlooks are a distinct landscape type along the Blue Ridge parkway containing several elements, and as such the term can be used as an overarching description that implies the presence of various features. In the Peaks of Otter developed area, each overlook features a small parking area, interpretive signage, pedestrian sidewalks, and a trailhead for the Fallingwater-Flat Top National Recreation Trail. The Fallingwater-Flat Top National Recreation Trail is actually two connected trails: the Fallingwater Cascades Trail, a loop trail that extends between the Fallingwater Cascades parking area and the falls along Fallingwater Creek; and the Flat Top Trail which leads from the Flat Top Trail parking area over Flat Top Mountain to the picnic area. A spur trail connects the two paths. This component landscape is significant under Criteria A, C, and potentially D. The period of significance identified for the parent landscape—Peaks of Otter developed area—is 1939–1965, which encompasses initial parkway construction through completion of proposed developments consistent with early master plans for the site. Parkway design principles are conveyed throughout the developed area, including the Flat Top and Fallingwater Cascades Trailheads component landscape, tying it to the broader 469-mile linear historic landscape. In addition, Peaks of Otter affords several of the key components that early designers considered important for motorists to experience when traveling the corridor, including opportunities for visitors to connect more deeply with the region through recreation and education, and to avail themselves of food, lodging, and other amenities.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- UGA-CED Cultural Landscape Laboratory; Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.
- Date of Issue
- 2014-03-24
- Publisher
- NPS Southeast Regional Office
- Units
- BLRI , SER
- Keywords
- Blue Ridge Parkway, Cultural Landscape, Designed Landscape, Fallingwater Cascades, Fallingwater-Flat Top National Recreation Trail, Flat Top, Flat Top and Fallingwater Cascades Trailheads, Historic Landscape, Overlook, Peaks of Otter, Recreation Area, Trail, Trailhead, Virginia
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Human Use | Visitor and Recreation Use | Visitor Use , Ecological Framework: Human Use | Cultural Landscapes | Cultural Landscapes