Fall Tanawha Trail Hike

Saturday was a beautiful fall day.  The weather had finally cooled down and the leaves were changing so we took Alex for a day trip to the mountains.  Leaving early we headed to the Blue Ridge Parkway, arriving at Deep Gap not long after sunrise.  We made a quick stop at Stoney Fork Overlook for some sunrise photos.

Then we continued on to the Rough Ridge Parking close to Grandfather Mountain to access the Tanawha Trail.  Although we arrived early, it was already crowded at this popular trailhead.  It was just a short ways to Rough Ridge, with fantastic views of Grandfather Mountain and the Linn Cove Viaduct.

It was very windy here however, so we didn't stay long at the overlooks.  But the fall color was really fantastic.

From Rough Ridge, the trail descended, passing the headwaters of Wilson Creek and under Linn Cove Viaduct.  Past here, we crossed below the bridge over Stack Rock Creek.

Near the end, we crossed US-221 and there was beautiful fall foliage along the road.

It was just a short ways further to Beacon Heights.  We went out to the first overlook, but it was very crowded and the sun prevented good pictures.

So we continued on to the main overlook, which was surprisingly less crowded.  And the views here were just amazing.  We took a break here and had lunch enjoying the nice views without the wind of Rough Ridge.

From here, we hiked back.  We spotted a little garter snake just off the trail.

At Rough Ridge, the wind had died down but it was so crowded, we didn't stop.

The Blue Ridge Parkway was kind of a mess, so we took US-221 back towards Blowing Rock, making a quick stop at Green Mountain Falls.  The water level was low but it was still pretty with a splash of fall color, though most of the vegetation around the falls is rhododendon.

From here, we headed towards Blowing Rock.  The traffic got pretty backed up so we got back on the parkway to get back to Deep Gap.  We stopped for dinner at Dooley's in Wilkesboro and then headed home.