Mountain Hikes in Northwest NC

This weekend Sandy and I and friends headed to the Boone area for more fall foliage. She finally took a weekend off so she could join in the fun. Our first stop was Mount Jefferson State Natural Area. We stopped at the upper overlook for some photo opportunities then headed to the parking lot.

We hiked up the Summit Trail then took the Rhododendron Trail to the Lost Province Trail.

After completing the Lost Province Trail, we headed out to Luther Rock for some great views, then returned along the Rhododendron Trail to the summit of Mount Jefferson.

We then headed back to the car and on to the next destination - Elk Knob State Park. Elk Knob is one of NC's newest state parks and is still in a state of development and doesn't have the amenities of other parks. There is only one trail here, the Summit Trail, so we headed up. While hiking along a north-facing slope of the mountain, we even saw un-melted snow along the trail. The trail is moderate to strenuous due to elevation gain, but there are many switchbacks to reduce the slope. Previously, only an old dirt road led to the summit - a shorter distance, but much steeper without the switchbacks.

At the top, we had lunch at the summit and enjoyed the great views of the surrounding Appalachian Mountains.  There was a south and north view and we got views from both.

Then we headed down and drove to Julian Price Park along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  We quickly set up camp at Price Park then headed to Linville Falls for a short hike before dark. We took the difficult trail to Linville Gorge.

At the bottom, we had to climb over rocks to get up close to the falls and took a few pictures, before heading back before dark.

We had been here previously, but had taken the upper, less difficult trails for a view of the falls. This trail was more difficult, but provided a great up-close view of the powerful waterfalls. Then back to the campsite for a campfire to stay warm. The overnight low was 30°F!