A 70-Foot Lookout Tower In North Carolina Gives Majestic Views Of The Open Skies

The countryside has a wide array of forests that are filled with treasures locals love. A few of them are actually closer than travelers may believe. If you're up for a short hike in North Carolina, you'll enjoy searching for this light tower. 

Frying Pan Tower is normally attributed to the historic lighthouse 32 miles off the coast of North Carolina. It's a highly well-known lighthouse that many North Carolinians claim with pride. 

It's so famous, that viewers of the new Netflix series The Outer Banks noticed that it wasn't included in the waters' landscape when shooting.

This was because the show was actually shot in South Carolina due to production conflicts. 

However, the more unknown (and equally cool) Fryingpan Lookout Tower is actually in the deep woods of Ashville, North Carolina. The 70-foot-tall lookout fire tower is only a short hike from the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway.

The watch tower was originally built in 1941 as a way to view fires in the local community from up above.

While still sturdy in stature, the tower has not been used for this purpose since the early 1990s.

Today, it's a great hangout for locals who want a bird's eye view of their town. The very top of the tower is locked, however, thrill seekers can climb up five flights of stairs to get a decent view of the near Fryingpan Mountain.

From each side of the lookout, climbers will be able to see Fryingpan Mountain, Blue Ridge Mountain and even get a close view of Cold Mountain, all of which are only miles away. 

With views like these, travelers will feel as though they are right in the clouds. 

Fryingpan Mountain Lookout Tower

Price: Free

Address: Directions

Why You Need To Go: Thrill seekers can climb up five flights of stairs to get a bird's eye view of the surrounding forest.

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