Boone Off The Beaten Path

Mount Jefferson is a state natural area with a few miles of hiking trails north of Boone. It is not well known, and as such, provides a nice hiking spot without the crowds of more popular locations. From Boone, take US-421 east, then take US-221 north past NC-163 in West Jefferson and turn right into the park. Mount Jefferson is a state natural area, not a state park, and so it is much smaller. However, there are some nice trails with great scenic overlooks. There are also two overlooks along the road leading up the mountain. The first overlook faces west and provides a view of the town of West Jefferson and mountains to the west, including Grandfather Mountain in the distance. The second overlook faces north and one can see Mount Rogers in Virginia on a clear day. From the parking lot the short Summit Trail leads up to the summit of Mount Rogers. There is a radio tower on the summit, which limits views. Following the Rhododendron Trail leads to Lost Province Trail and a path out to Luther Rock, which has much better views of the surrounding mountains. Altogether, the trails only total about 2 miles, but its a nice place for a short hike if you're in the area.

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Mile Post 316.4

We drove to Linville Falls Visitor Center, which hosts about 350,000 visitors annually. Linville Falls is reportedly the most beautiful fall along the Blue Ridge area. The Ranger at the Center told us to follow the track to Erwins View Trail that will take us to four overlooks and that is exactly what we did. The 1-mile long uphill trek took us to a high overlook from where we were able to see the falls deep in the ravine below. We met many visitors here and befriended a number of them (picture 1 and 2).

While we were hiking back, we turned to our right toward the half-way point offering a closer view of the falls to our left and of Erwin Overlook high above us to our right. We saw some families who had descended down to the fall and were swimming or basking in the sun.

We continued back and took a last turn to our right to reach the rapids of the Linville River. The falls could not be seen from here as it was hidden due to huge boulders to our right.

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Mile Post 243.4

We stopped here to look at the clouds over mountains and valleys and to hike on Bluff Mountain Trail. However, the trail was running precariously over deep ravines and my husband called it off due to "too risky" he said.

Mile Post 323

This was our southernmost stop on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We were able to see some photographs of wild Turkeys here, although the overlook is meant for observing that side of Humpback Mountain tat once sheltered a bear’s den, offering protection from both weather and hunters.

Mile Post 307.4

We stopped here very briefly just to have couple of pictures taken. This overlook sits on the western slope of Grandmother Mountain. This mountain can be seen from several places along the Parkway.

Mile Post 306.6

We parked our car in the parking lot and took some pictures. The foliage at this overlook has been cut to frame a view of Grandfather Mountain (elevation 5,964 feet). For details about our exploits on this Mountain please read our ‘Things to do’ tips on these pages.

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Mile Post 304

We stopped here for a short hike. The 1,243 foot-long Linn Cove Viaduct, along with 12 other bridges, ended the winding, 14-mile detour around Grandfather Mountain and marked the official completion of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

There were beautiful views from over the bridge. Many cyclists were enjoying their rides on the strenuous Parkway.

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Mile Post 296.4

We had our major stop at this area.

Price Park consists of 4,200 acres of mountain land surrounding Price Lake. The lake itself offers fly-fishing. From 1912 to 1930, lumber barons stripped this tract of virgin trees, primarily chestnut, hemlock, and yellow poplar. Today, a hardwood conifer forest is gradually returning. Park has become one of the most popular recreation areas on the Parkway. Picnic tables and a comfort station are available in the park.