Grandfather Mountain State Park
Grandfather Mountain State Park is the 33rd Park in our 2025 North Carolina State Park Challenge. This is a very popular State Park that is known for its intense hikes with ladder climbs on the way up to the view points. These ladders are not dog friendly and will limit which paths you can take in the park- but the ladders are marked on the park map and there are multiple ways to have great hike with your dog without coming up on any of the ladders.
One of the first things that comes up when you google Grandfather Mountain is the privately owned grandfather mountain swinging bridge attraction. This is not park of the state park- but is a common mistake to this it is. Even though you can get to the park trails from here there is a $32 charge per person (and $12 for child under 12) to enter this attraction. Axel is not a huge fan of bridges so a large swinging bridge with other people on it was not in the cards for us- so we stuck within the park boundaries.
One of the two main parking areas (Profile Trail Parking Area) is still currently closed as a result of Hurricane Helene. So we parked at the Boone Fork parking area (which only had a few spots left at 10 am on a Friday) and hiked up the Nuwati Trail out to Storyteller’s Rock. This is the path out to multiple of the backpack-in campsites and I think this is a great option for beginning backpackers. I’ve only done one overnight backpacking trip with Axel and while walking this path I really thought it was something I could do. The trail is rated as easy and I agree that it would be a great way to camp at grandfather mountain- and I can imagine that sunrise/sunset from Storyteller Rock would be amazing.!
Next we backtracked on the Nuwati Trail until we reached Cragway Trail. Along this 1 mile strenuous path there are two overlooks- Top Crag View and Flat Rock View. Top Crag was our favorite view with the tall jagged rocks up again the mountains (the fall colors were an added bonus!). Flat Rock View truly is a flat rock (perfect place to sit and have a snack) with a small view through the trees. Then when took Daniel Boone Scout Trail back down to our parking area.
The Visitor Center is in a temporary location less than 20 minutes down the road from the Boone Fork parking area. Would will take a winding dirt road to get there though. We got our passport stamp and patch then had the perfect view of the Grandfather Mountain profile driving back to Asheville from the Park Office.
Park Details:
ADDRESS: 9872 N.C. 105 Suite 6, Banner Elk NC 28604
HOURS: November-February: 8am-6pm
March-May & September-October: 8am-8pm
June-August: 8am-9pm
VISITOR CENTER:
PASSPORT STAMP: Located at the Temporary Visitor Center
ENTRANCE FEE: No Entrance Fee (Entrance Fee to Grandfather Mountain Swinging Bridge (which is not part of the State Park and is privately owned))
TRAILS: 13 miles of Hiking Trails
ACTIVITIES: Hiking
DOG RULES: Dogs are not allowed in park buildings and must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Please pick up after your pet!
Check out our videos about this Park on instagram @axel.theadventurepup
