Pond Mountain Views

Saturday, we headed out to the High County to beat the heat.  We drove to the extreme northwest corner of North Carolina to Pond Mountain Game Land and headed up the steep gravel road to the parking area.  Once above the trees, the views here were fantastic.

And there was no one else here, despite being a Saturday in the summer.  We hiked down the gated road that is also the horse trail.

This area was a former Christmas tree farm before it became game land.  Most of the trees had been harvested and so we had the best long range views.

The road went about a mile to a barn and a permanent gate at the summit of Pond Mountain.

There was a lot of buckwheat flowering throughout the area.

Being so open, the wildflowers were blooming through the summer.

Most of the evening primrose were closed, but I spotted one that was open.

Heading down the other side of Pond Mountain, the trail descended steeply and went through a wooded area and then another open area.  We passed a couple of the small ponds for which the mountain is named.

After passing through the open area, the trail headed back into the woods and we didn't go too far before turning around.

Back over Pond Mountain, we saw one other couple who had arrived after us.  They too remarked how spectacular the views here are.

Back at the car, we headed down the mountain and stopped in Mountain City for a quick hibachi lunch.  Then we continued towards Boone and drove up Dutch Creek Road to the end at the small parking area for Bear Paw State Natural Area.  The gated road continued up past an old cabin and continued following Dutch Creek upstream.

There were some nice wildflowers blooming along the trail despite the full canopy.

Some of the Turk's cap lilies were really big.

Near the headwaters of Dutch Creek, the trail went through an overgrown powerline clearing then got a little steep.  With flagging tape, it wasn't too hard to follow and soon go to Hanging Rock Ridge for the final climb up.  The trail ended at an overlook.

Bear Paw/Hanging Rock was difficult to see with all the foliage, but the view of Grandfather Mountain from here was great.

After a short break, we headed back down.

Some little mushrooms were sprouting from a dead tree.

Back at the car, we headed into Boone for dinner at Coyote Kitchen, which has a nice outdoor seating area for Alex.  The tacos were very filling and the pineapple-habanero salsa was delicious.  After dinner, we headed to Lenoir and checked into the hotel.  I was still full from dinner so went for a walk on the Lenoir Greenway since I could access just off the parking lot.

I went as far as Powell Road and turned back.