Milepost 422.4
Distance: 1.0 mile out and back from the parking area.
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation Gain : 258 feet Trailhead: Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 422.4, park at the Devil’s Courthouse Overlook
Elevation: 5720′
Tips:
This is a family friendly hike for children over 5. It is a very steep incline for adults.
Sneakers or hiking shoes
Definitely bring a camera or video camcorder the views are like a painting.
Park you car at the overlook. When looking up at the rock face sometimes you can see some tiny hikers at the top viewing area. Follow the paved pathway parallel with the Blue Ridge Parkway towards the tunnel and enter the woods. Get ready to climb almost straight up at a very steep incline. There is a bench in the left half way up. Then the pathway turns to a wall enclosed viewing area with spectacular mountain views. Looking to the East is the Carolina Piedmont. The view to the West is the Shining Rock Wilderness
Trail head: approximately 9.5 miles north of Boone. Take Hwy 194
Elk Knob State Park
5564 Meat Camp Road
Todd, NC 28684
Elk.knob@ncparks.gov
Camping reservation: 828-297-7261
After turning a right into the state park at the top of the mountain. You will follow a gravel road for a bit then park in the parking lot.
Distance: 3.8 miles out and back
GPS: 36.332586, -81.69064
Elevation Gain: 1000feet
At an elevation of 5520′ , Elk Knob is one of the ,tallest peaks in Watauga county with spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.
The trail starts off in the parking lot and the trailhead leads upwards in a zig zag fashion. At the 1 mile point you will see an opening with a great mountain view. There is also a bench here to rest your legs preparing for the next mile to the top of the mountain. When you get towards the top of the trees you are almost there. The path at the top says North and South. Get out your camera the views are amazing. Either one has spectacular panoramic views with display panels that identify the mountains views. There are also benches at the top to take in the views and rest a bit if needed.
Hiking Humpback Rocks is a relatively short hike following a 2.0-mile (3.2 km) trail loop. With a roughly 45-minute hike to ascend 740 feet (230 m) to the peak, and a 20-25-minute descent, this ranks as one of the shorter hikes along the Blue Ridge, however it remains one of the most rewarding. The peak affords a spectacular 360-degree view of the surrounding terrain. To the north you can see into the southern section of Shenandoah National Park, to the east check out the patchwork of farms, to the southwest you see thick woods and mountain ridges of the George Washington National Forest.
Hikers may continue to follow the Trail for .5 miles (0.80 km), passing along the top of a cliff with views to the south and east before descending 1.2 miles (1.9 km) to a blue blaze trail. This trail leads .3 miles (0.48 km) into the Humpback Rocks Picnic Area. The distance between Humpback Gap and the Humpback Rocks Picnic Area is 3.6 miles (5.8 km). A map of the hike and of the Humpback Gap Overlook is available through the Blue Ridge Parkway website.
Continuing past Humpback Rocks itself, the summit of Humpback Mountain is only a few minutes further. The Appalachian Trail is only a short hike to the north, at milepost 6.
The Humpback Rocks Visitors Center is located at milepost 5.8, six miles south of the Rockfish Gap Interchange of I-64 and US 250. It is most easily accessed by either one of these two highways. Head south on the Blue Ridge Parkway for 5.8 miles (9.3 km) to reach the Humpback Rocks Visitors Center, or continue another 0.2 miles (0.32 km) to arrive at the Humpback Gap parking area on the left.
The Appalachian Trail can also be accessed from the Humpback Gap parking area. Southbound hikers can reach it by continuing south on the Humpback Rocks trail. Northbound hikers can reach it taking the one mile (1.6 km) blue blazed path at the northern end of the parking lot, or the one mile (1.6 km) white blazed path just off of the Howardsville Turnpike.
Minnehaha Falls is a half-mile waterfall hike in the North Georgia Mountains, and is a must see when you are in the area and want to stretch your legs. Minnehaha Falls is a series of cascades located on Falls Creek in Rabun County, Georgia.The waterfalls near Lake Rabun and inside the Chattahoochee National Forest, descend about 100 feet over a stepped rock formation. This hike is an easy to moderate incline to the falls. The 100 foot Minihaha waterfalls is an easy (0.5 mile) half mile hike that will reward you with a natural beautiful waterfall in the Georgia mountains. Minihaha Falls cascades across the rocks at least 30 feet wide with a variety of 3-5 foot drops as it flows into a shallow flat pool of water at the bottom. There is a rock bench set in the perfect location for a great selfie or photo.
From the parking area the wooden hand rail leading to the falls is in plain sight. As you head up the trail you follow the creek on your right. About half way up the trail you see a small 10 foot cascade that you can get closer to on a side path. Once you reach 100 foot Minihaha Falls you’ll find yourself in a steep-sided cove packed with rhododendron and mountain laurel. There is a rock sitting bench on the far end of the creek bed.
Directions: Take US 23/441 north from Tallulah Falls for three miles to the Rabun Beach Recreation Area sign. Turn left onto Old 441. Go 2.5 miles and take a left on Lake Rabun Road. Go one mile past Recreation Area. Take a left on Low Gap Road at Flat Creek Community sign. Follow Bear Gap road which forks to the left. Go 1.5 miles to the sign marking the trail on the right side of the road. It’s about a five minute walk from the parking area on Bear Gap Road.
Overview: This is a very family walking trail in Blowing Rock North Carolina. It is part of the Moses Cone Memorial Park Trail system. The hike is about one mile in length but is a beautiful walk around the lake during any season. This hiking trail is a great stretch your legs type of hike after you have been driving in the car all day. Pets are welcomed on this trail but must be on a leash. I would definitely recommend this hike during the fall season for a brisk walk and great picture taking.
Tips:
Make sure you have comfortable hiking shoes
You must sign your name to the Grandfather Mountain List for the Ranger
Bring plenty of water at least 2 bottles and a back pack
Bass Lake Loop Trail Map
Photo Gallery
*Click on thumbnails for larger viewing and slideshow
Video View From Flat Rock View on Grandfather Mountain
