by admin | May 25, 2015 | Hiking By Activity, Hiking By Difficulty, Hiking By Distance, Hiking National Parks, Hiking Trail Guides by State, Hiking Trails - Over 1.0 Mile, Hiking Trails Blue Ridge Parkway NC, Moderate/Strenuous Hiking Trails, North Carolina Mountain Hiking Trails, North Carolina Overlook Mountain Trails, North Carolina Waterfall Trails, Overlook Hiking Trails, Waterfall Hiking Trails
Trail head: Milepost 302.8 Blue Ridge Parkway
Distance: 1 mile
Duration: 2 hrs
Skill Level: Moderate/Strenuous Hiking Trails
Overview:
Rough Ridge Overlook and Trail starts at the bottom of the Blue Ridge Parkway, just South of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is a major section in the Tanawha Trail system which is 13.5 miles long. (See another part of the trail by clicking on the Linn Cove Viaduct Trail)
The first thing you see is a natural waterfall cascading down the rocks at the parking lot. You then ascend the rooted staircase, and cross the bridge; beyond this point there are no animals allowed.
You then continue on the trail up rock made staircases until you reach the first platform of stairs, where the views are breathtaking and its worth a stop for water and pictures. Not only can you see the parkway below and the cars traveling beneath you, but to the right is a great view of the Linn Cove Viaduct and the backside of Grandfather Mountain and McRae Peak. At this point you are only 1/3 of the way up the trail.
You continue through the very narrow trail of bushes and rocks as you climb higher and higher to you reach a ledge of rocks where you have a great show back down at the first platform. The pictures and videos from here are scenic with a 270 degree view of the mountains that reach out as far as the eye can see. Here you are about 2/3 of the way there.
Keep climbing cause the top rock gives you a 360 degree view of the entire area and a great place to stop and take in the mountain views and fresh air. I recommend bringing a picnic or something to eat cause you want to just sit and take in the scenery. I also recommend going on a nice day, if its not hazy you might even see the Charlotte skyline in the distance. What goes up must go down. The hike down is easier but you might have to wait at certain sections as people come up the same trail because the trail is not very wide.
You have now completed in my book one of the best vantage points for picture and video taking on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Enjoy the hike is worth the climb!
Tips:
- Must Have Hiking Shoes
- Bring a few Bottles of Water
- Be Patient and allow other hikers to move past you coming and going due to the trail not being wide.
- Worth packing a picnic or a lunch
- Not small kid friendly about age 5 is the minimum
- No Pets allowed past the bridge
Rough Ridge Trail Map
Photo Gallery
*Click on thumbnails for larger viewing and slideshow
by admin | May 25, 2015 | Easy Hiking Trails, Hiking By Activity, Hiking By Difficulty, Hiking By Distance, Hiking National Parks, Hiking Trail Guides by State, Hiking Trails - Under 1.0 Mile, Hiking Trails Blue Ridge Parkway NC, North Carolina Mountain Hiking Trails, North Carolina Overlook Mountain Trails, North Carolina Waterfall Trails, Overlook Hiking Trails, Waterfall Hiking Trails
Trail head: Milepost 361.2 Blue Ridge Parkway
Distance: 0.1 miles
Duration: 1 minutes
Skill Level: Easy
Overview:
When you park at the Blue Ridge Parkway overlook. Get out of the car and walk up the little hill on the path. Once you get to the top you will see the waterfall across the valley on the far side of the overlook.
Tips:
- Need Binoculars to see waterfall up close
Photo Gallery
*Click on thumbnails for larger viewing and slideshow
by admin | May 25, 2015 | Hiking By Activity, Hiking By Difficulty, Hiking By Distance, Hiking National Parks, Hiking Trail Guides by State, Hiking Trails - Under 1.0 Mile, Hiking Trails Blue Ridge Parkway NC, Moderate Hiking Trails, North Carolina Mountain Hiking Trails, North Carolina Overlook Mountain Trails, North Carolina Visitor Center Trails, Overlook Hiking Trails, Visitor Center Hiking Trails
Trail head: Milepost 364 Blue Ridge Parkway
Distance: 0.9 miles
Duration: 60 minutes
Skill Level: Moderate Hiking Trail
Overview:
Craggy Gardens and Craggy Pinnacle Trail is one of the most beautiful trails to hike on the Blue Ridge Parkway when the Rhododendrons are blooming forming a canopy of magenta and purple color against the greenery and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Craggy Gardens is located on milepost 364 on the Blue Ridge Parkway and is about 1hr 30 min from Banner Elk North Carolina.
Your trail hike starts in the parking lot…we parked in the lower parking lot showing you a magnificent 180 degree panoramic video of the Blue Ridge mountains. Then continue to the upper parking lot where you will see the parkway sign “Craggy Dome” the trail head is just on the other side indicated by a sign. The first part of the trail is covered by color as the plants create a canopy in which you walk under on the trail. The first part of the journey is a gradual climb; then you reach a bend and a nice elevated rock with a view.
The trail then leans more upward until it reaches a fork to the right where there is a plateau and many scenic overlooks. As you loop back around the trail with a sign states left to the upper lookout and right to the lower lookout. The lower lookout just allows you to see the visitor center and the mountains in the distance about a 180 degree view. If you want to feel like you are on top of the world take the upper lookout trail until you reach the rock wall with stairs. As you emerge from the stairs you will see a 360 degree lookout with a beautiful scenic landscape of the Blue Ridge mountains, the Asheville watershed lake, and more.
What goes up must come down as the walk down the mountain trail is a lot more easier than going up.
Tips:
- Great Mountain Views
- Family friendly trail
- Moderate Hiking Trails
- Hiking shoes or sneakers
- Camera or video recorder
- Bottle of water
- Plan the hike on a nice sunny day
Craggy Gardens Trail Map
Photo Gallery
*Click on thumbnails for larger viewing and slideshow
by admin | May 25, 2015 | Easy Hiking Trails, Hiking By Activity, Hiking By Difficulty, Hiking By Distance, Hiking Trail Guides by State, Hiking Trails - Under 1.0 Mile, State Park Hiking Trails, Tennessee Mountain Hiking Trails, Tennessee State Park Trails, Tennessee Visitor Center Trails, Visitor Center Hiking Trails
Trail head: Fort Loudon, Tennessee
Distance: 0.6 miles
Duration: 31 minutes
Skill Level: Easy
Overview: On one of my sales trips I wanted to go on a hike and the locals told me to check out Fort Loudon in Tennessee. Being a history buff and seeing many forts across the east coast growing up. I went to go hike the trail.
Fort Loudoun was a British colonial-era fort located in what is now Monroe County, Tennessee, United States. Built in 1756 and 1757 to help garner Cherokee support for the British at the outset of the Seven Years’ War, the fort was one of the first significant British outposts west of the Appalachian Mountains.
Fort Loudoun State Historic Park is 1,200-acres and is one of the earliest British fortifications on the western frontier, built in 1756. The fort was reconstructed during the Great Depression and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965.
During the French and Indian War (1754-1763) the British Colony of South Carolina felt threatened by French activities in the Mississippi Valley. To counter this threat, the Colony sent the Independent Company of South Carolina to construct and garrison what became Fort Loudoun. This move helped to ally the Overhill Cherokee Nation in the fight against the French and guaranteed the trade would continue between the Cherokee and South Carolina.
In the course of the fort’s four year existence, relations between South Carolina and the Cherokee Nation broke down. In August 1760, the Cherokee captured Fort Loudoun and its garrison. After the surrender in 1760, Fort Loudoun was never used again for any military purpose. It is thought the Cherokees destroyed the fort sometime shortly after the English marched away.
Nature reclaimed the site and there was no public recognition of the Fort until 1917. In November of that year the Colonial Dames of America placed a commemorative marker at the Fort Loudoun site. In 1933, the Tennessee General Assembly purchased the site of Fort Loudoun and created the Fort Loudoun Association to manage it. The Fort Loudoun Association ran the site for nearly 45 years until it became a Tennessee State Park in 1977.
Today, the reconstructed fort and the ruins of the 1794 Tellico Blockhouse overlook TVA’s Tellico Reservoir and the Appalachian Mountains.
Fort Loudoun State Park’s interpretative center offers information on the area’s history and artifacts that were excavated prior to the Fort’s reconstruction from the French and Indian War. There is an auditorium that features The Fort Loudoun Story, a 30 minute video about the history of the site.
Along with living history and monthly interpretive programs, the park hosts several popular seasonal events such as, the 18th Century Trade Faire in September and Christmas at Fort Loudoun which provide a living history of the fort.
For more information, please contact Fort Loudoun State Park directly at 423-884-6217.
Tips:
- Water Bottle
- Bring Camera
- Regular shoes
- Family oriented
Fort Loudon TN Trail Map
Photo Gallery
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by admin | May 18, 2015 | Easy/Moderate Hiking Trails, Hiking By Activity, Hiking By Difficulty, Hiking By Distance, Hiking National Parks, Hiking Trail Guides by State, Hiking Trails - Under 1.0 Mile, Hiking Trails Blue Ridge Parkway NC, North Carolina Mountain Hiking Trails, North Carolina Overlook Mountain Trails, North Carolina Visitor Center Trails, Overlook Hiking Trails, Visitor Center Hiking Trails
Trail head: Milepost 293-295 Blue Ridge Parkway
Distance: 0.4 miles
Duration: 12 minutes
Skill Level: Easy
Overview:
Arrive at Mose Cone Memorial Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Head down the stairs to the parkway craft center. Go past the Moses Cone home on the right and you will see the figure eight trail sign. This is a good leg stretcher that is easy for weary travelers who have been on the parkway for a while in the car and need to get the blood moving and wake up a bit. the trail is a figure eight loop trail that has many signs about the types of trees around the Moses Cone Manor Memorial Park. There are 25 miles of trails at Moses Cone Park please see the following:
Tips:
- Water bottle
- Regular shoes or sneakers would be fine for this hike
- Would recommend this hike to families with small kids
Figure 8 Loop Trail Map
Photo Gallery
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by admin | May 18, 2015 | Easy Hiking Trails, Hiking By Activity, Hiking By Difficulty, Hiking By Distance, Hiking Trail Guides by State, Hiking Trails - Under 1.0 Mile, Local Park Hiking Trails, North Carolina Local Park Trails, North Carolina Mountain Hiking Trails, North Carolina Mountain Road Bike Greenway Trails, North Carolina Visitor Center Trails, North Carolina Waterfall Trails, Road Bike Greenway Trails, Visitor Center Hiking Trails, Waterfall Hiking Trails
Trail head: Banner Elk, North Carolina
Distance: 0.3 miles
Duration: 7 minutes
Skill Level: Easy
Overview:
Tate Evans Park located next to town hall in Banner Elk North Carolina is one of the most relaxing parks I have ever been to and has everything for everyone, making it an ideal place to go visit. If you have children they can play in the creek when warmer, use the 2 different playgrounds, swings, ride their bikes around the loop, play volleyball, have a picnic, or walk the dog. There is even shelters and grills for barbecues, along with two separate bathrooms. The park is used for many great events in town such as the Fourth of July, Christmas tree lighting, Thursday summer concerts, and more.
Tips:
- Dog park, dog friendly
- Bathrooms, Picnic Benches, Grill, Shelters
- Regular shoes or sneakers would be fine for this hike
- Would recommend this hike to families with small kids
- Great spot for kids to play on the playground, ride bikes, have picnic, play in the creek
Tate Evans Park Trail Map
Photo Gallery
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