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Hilliard’s Knob, Watauga County

Hilliard’s Knob in the Forest Grove community of Watauga County is the perfect place for a picnic (see photo). The knob was named for my great-great-great grandfather, Alf Hilliard, who once owned the land. Hilliard’s Knob towers over the community below. One can see distant mountain peaks of North Carolina and ridges stretching into Tennessee.
My family has picnicked here on several occasions. Spring winds sweep over the peak, reminding everyone that the long winter is almost over. Summer brings an abundance of green. You can probably catch a glimpse of a horse or cow grazing contently in a nearby pasture. Autumn is perhaps the best time to be there. Nature’s glory abounds as the mountains seem to be afire with leaves changing colors. When there is no summer haze, you feel like you can see forever in the crisp, clear mountain air.
I’m sure that there are many other places in North Carolina that match the beauty of this place. Still, there is one thing that makes this place more special than all the others. It was on this very spot on a picnic that I proposed to my wife, and she is a beauty that cannot be surpassed.

Steven Hagaman, Zionville | Blue Ridge EMC

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