Is Pisgah Forest a Good Place to Spend Thanksgiving? How to Plan the Holiday Week

Yes, if you plan for short days and holiday hours. The roadside waterfalls on US 276 stay open all year, the short hikes fit around a holiday schedule, and the big meal happens at the house instead of a booked-up restaurant. Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year. The sun sets about 5:19 PM that day in Pisgah Forest, so the week works best with short morning outings and long evenings back at the house.

Why does Pisgah Forest work for a Thanksgiving trip?

You get a morning outside and a real kitchen to come back to, without a long drive between them. A city trip gives you restaurants and no trail, and a remote cabin puts a long drive between you and everything else.

From Pisgah Forest, Triple Falls in DuPont State Forest is about 12 minutes away. Looking Glass Falls is about 23 minutes up US 276, and Moore Cove Falls is about 26. None of them needs a full day. That leaves time to cook, eat, and sit by the fire, which is what most families come for that week anyway.

What is open near Pisgah Forest on Thanksgiving week?

The waterfalls are. Looking Glass Falls is free and open year round, day and night. It’s a 60-foot drop right off the road, so the oldest and youngest in your group can both see it. When temperatures stay below freezing, the falls can ice over into blue and white columns, and the deck can get icy too. Bring real traction if a cold snap is in the forecast.

Photo: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Taken November 22, 2008.

Moore Cove Falls is an easy 1.4-mile round trip on a well-worn path, free and open year round. The Triple Falls hike in DuPont is 2.2 miles round trip with about 400 feet of gain if you do all three falls, or about half a mile if you only walk to Hooker Falls.

Count the Blue Ridge Parkway as a maybe. As of 8:00 AM on November 1, the National Park Service listed it open from the Pisgah Inn area past Graveyard Fields and Black Balsam Knob to NC 215. The Park Service also says weather closures happen most often in winter. Check its road status page the morning you go, and have a waterfall on US 276 as your backup.

In town, downtown Brevard’s Holiday Windows display starts Thanksgiving weekend and runs through December 31. It’s free, and it’s an easy walk after a big lunch.

How should you plan the days around the big meal?

Keep the outings short and put them in the morning. A Wednesday to Sunday stay can run like this:

1. Wednesday: Check in after 4:00 PM. Do the grocery run on your way in, because it gets dark soon after.
2. Thursday: Start the cooking early, then take a short walk to Moore Cove Falls or Looking Glass Falls while things rest. Eat by mid-afternoon, before the light goes.
3. Friday: Your longest outing. Walk the three falls in DuPont, or drive up the Parkway if it’s open and the weather is clear.
4. Saturday: Downtown Brevard and the holiday windows, leftovers on the porch, hot tub after dark.
5. Sunday: Checkout is before 11:00 AM. One more short waterfall on the way out if your route allows it.

The Parkway stops are farther than they look on a map. Graveyard Fields is about 50 minutes from the house and Black Balsam Knob about 55. Black Balsam’s summit sits at 6,214 feet and is fully exposed once you leave the trees, so pack for wind and cold even on a mild day in the valley.

What should you know about hunting season and short days?

Thanksgiving week is deer season in western North Carolina. The blackpowder season runs November 14 to 27, 2026, and gun season opens November 28. On any forest trail that week, wear something bright, keep dogs close and leashed, and stick to marked paths.

The light is the other limit. Sunrise is about 7:16 AM on Thanksgiving and sunset about 5:19 PM. Down in the hollows the sun drops behind the ridges earlier than that. Aim to be back at the car by 4:00 PM. Cell service is spotty inside Pisgah and parts of DuPont, so download offline maps at the house before you leave.

Is the house set up for cooking a holiday meal?

Yes. The kitchen has a gas stove, a dishwasher, full cookware and dinnerware, spices and basics, a toaster and a blender, plus a Bunn dual-pot coffee maker for the early crew. A gas grill sits outside if someone wants to smoke or grill part of the meal.

The kitchen, dining and living area all open into one room with a gas fireplace, so whoever is cooking isn’t stuck off by themselves. David, a recent guest, called it a “very well equipped kitchen,” and Sarah wrote that it is “extensively equipped with just about anything a chef would want.”

A few things to plan for:

• Groceries: The nearest stores are Ingles in Brevard and Ingles in Etowah, each about 17 minutes from the house. Check their holiday hours and shop before Thursday.
• Firewood: Not provided. Bring your own or pick up a bundle in Brevard, and watch for county burn bans.
• Laundry: There’s a washer and dryer, so you can pack light and wash muddy hiking clothes at night.
• Power: A full-home backup generator keeps the lights, the heat and the kitchen going if a storm knocks out power.
• Dogs: Welcome for $75 per stay, with a fully fenced yard and dog crates if you need them.

The house sleeps six in three bedrooms, each with a king bed, and there are TVs and gas fireplaces on both levels. The football crowd can take one floor and the nappers the other.

Where to stay for Thanksgiving near Pisgah Forest

Pisgah Base Camp sits on the US 276 corridor in Pisgah Forest, about 11 minutes from DuPont and 23 from Looking Glass Falls. Come back from a cold morning at the falls, get the sides going on the gas stove, and let the hot tub and the fire pit take the evening. Most holiday rentals give you a place to sleep between restaurant reservations. This one is built for cooking the meal, eating it slow, and getting outside again the next morning. If your family is planning the week, check Thanksgiving dates at Pisgah Base Camp.