Biltmore Estate and Its Impossible Existence
Frederick Law Olmsted designed the Approach Road in the 1890s to control how visitors arrive. He wanted the drive to last long enough that you would forget you were headed to a destination.
The road runs about three miles on winding pavement through forest, with trees close on both sides. The canopy mostly blocks distant views, so the Blue Ridge Mountains don’t show up until you’re much closer to the house.
Then, at the top of a rise, the house appears suddenly: a 375-foot-long facade of Indiana limestone. The building is a French chateau set in western North Carolina…