Banner Elk, Valle Crucis, Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain
One of my favorite things to do when I visit this area is to drive N.C. 105 west from Boone and look for Grandfather’s profile against the setting sun. If you’ve never witnessed it, then by all means go, because you really can see the brow, nose, and beard of this grand old man of the mountains as he lies in peaceful repose above the valley. And yes, local old-timers do refer to the mountain simply as Grandfather. Listen for it when you step inside the shops.
A weekend with Grandfather has many facets. If the weather is warm, you can enjoy the attractions atop Grandfather Mountain. The famous Mile-High Swinging Bridge does not disappoint! Nor does the drive to the top of the mountain, for that matter.
This corner of North Carolina, also home to Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain, has the highest average elevation east of the Rockies. If it’s winter, the area’s ski resorts may start calling your name. However, if skiing isn’t your cup of tea, you can still enjoy many diversions. Banner Elk, Foscoe, and Valle Crucis all lie under the watchful gaze of Grandfather, as does the Linn Cove Viaduct. Whether you golf, ride horseback, attend the country’s only Woolly Worm Race or the magnificent Scottish Highlands Games, or hike a section of the marvelous Tanawha Trail, you’ll find plenty to do here, whatever the season.
Where to Stay
This part of North Carolina is enormously popular, so you’ll have lots of choices of where to stay. This list is by no means complete. Perhaps the best-known bed-and-breakfast is the Mast Farm Inn (888-963-5857; www.mastfarminn.com) in Valle Crucis. Breakfast there is scrumptious, as is dinner. Another option in Valle Crucis is the Baird House (800-297-1342; www.bairdhouse.com), a 1790 farmhouse set on 16 acres. From late spring to mid-fall, the Eseeola Lodge (800-742-6717; www.eseeola.com), located at the Linville Golf Club and known for its gourmet meals, opens its doors. In Banner Elk, the Inn at Elk River (828-898-9669; www.elkriverinn.com) provides a comfy stay.
Where to Eat
Like the area’s abundant lodgings, restaurants and cafés seem to be tucked into every nook and cranny. Try any of them, because the area is full of wonderful chefs! One to get you started is the Banner Elk Café, famous for its home-style cooking. If you’re up at Beech Mountain, try Fred’s Backside Deli for sandwiches, soups, and pizza. If the cool temperatures put you in the mood for fine fireside dining, visit Jackalope’s View in Banner Elk. If you’re hungry for Italian fare, try Sorrentos, also in Banner Elk. For something really elegant, go to Stonewalls in Banner Elk.
Tidbits
Worth a read is Michael Frome’s splendid book,Strangers in High Places, which details how Grandfather Mountain and Linville Gorge almost became part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Valle Crucis, Latin for “Valley of the Cross,” is named for the creeks that converge with the Watauga River to form the shape of a cross.
Woolly worms are orange-brown and black in color and incredibly fuzzy. You can supposedly predict the severity of winter by studying the relative widths of their color bands before the first frost. (One supposes that after the frost, the woolly worms hide out in warmer places, not being ski junkies.) If you decide to enter a worm in the Woolly Worm Race, you can either bring your own champion or purchase a worm on race day. Make sure you’ve named the worm, then stand back and see how fast it can crawl to the top of a string. Whichever worm wins the race is anointed the Grand Champion and holds the honor of predicting the upcoming winter.
Mast General Store, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, serves as the backcover shot for Doc Watson’s 1976 album, Doc and the Boys.
Ways to While Away the Day
Golf
Several courses are open to the public, including Hanging Rock Golf Club (828-963-6561), Mountain Glen Golf Course (828-733-5809) in Newland, and Sugar Mountain Golf Club (828-898-6464). Linville Golf Club (828-733-4363) is open to weekend golfers who are guests of Eseeola Lodge.
Outdoors
Fishing
Foscoe Fishing Company & Outfitters can provide fly-fishing equipment, guide service, and fishing trips. They have locations in Blowing Rock on Sunset Drive and at the Shoppes at Tynecastle at the intersection of N.C. 105 and N.C. 184. For more information, visit www.foscoefishing.com.
Hiking
On the eastern side of Grandfather lies western North Carolina’s most highly engineered trail, the 13.5-mile Tanawha Trail. Tanawha is Cherokee for “fabulous eagle.” Blazed with a feather marking, the trail includes wood and steel bridges, boardwalks around boulder-strewn areas, and staircases around rock outcrops. Along the way, you’ll walk across meadows, among mature hardwoods, and through old apple orchards. You’ll also ascend Rough Ridge to enjoy one of the best views in all of western North Carolina. It’s not necessary to hike the entire trail; the designers lopped it into sections for easy access from parkway overlooks. The 0.9-mile Section 1 runs from Beacon Heights (Milepost 305.2) to Stack Rock; it’s noted for its wildflowers. The 0.65-mile Section 2 extends from Stack Rock (Milepost 304.8) to Linn Cove; it sports a wooden staircase around giant boulders. The 1.35-mile Section 3 goes from Linn Cove (Milepost 304.4) to the Wilson Creek Overlook, passing underneath the Linn Cove Viaduct along the way. The 1.45-mile Section 4 runs from Wilson Creek (Milepost 303.7) to Rough Ridge; it offers outstanding 360-degree views. The 0.8-mile Section 5 stretches from Rough Ridge (Milepost 302.9) to Raven Rocks; you’ll travel through a hardwood forest. The 3.2-mile Section 6 runs from Raven Rocks (Milepost 302.4) to Boone Fork; you’ll cross several footbridges and walk an old roadbed. The two-mile Section 7 goes from Boone Fork (Milepost 300) to Cold Prong Pond; you’ll enjoy the rhododendron tunnels and wildflowers. The 3.8-mile Section 8 extends from Cold Prong (Milepost 299) to Julian Price Memorial Park (Milepost 297.2), passing through apple orchards, meadows, pastures, and wildflowers.
Mountain Biking
Several years ago, Sugar Mountain Resort discovered what many other ski resorts have learned: it could allow mountain bikers to ride the slopes when there was no snow on the ground. The Sugar Mountain Trail Loop, a moderately difficult 5.9-mile loop, includes double-track trails, single-track trails, and brief sections of paved roads. The ride begins at 4,000 feet in elevation and climbs to nearly 5,200 feet before returning to the starting point. For more information, call 828-898-4521 or visit www.skisugar.com.
The 45-mile Mission Crossing Byway runs from Vilas (located at the intersection of U.S. 321 and U.S. 421 north of Boone) through Valle Crucis to Elk Park. Along the way, you’ll pass areas that were once home to herds of elk and where native cranberries grew. You’ll also drive along the Watauga River.
Shopping
Can you make a career out of visiting the shops in the area? Yes. Start at Mast General Store in Valle Crucis and then cruise N.C. 105, stopping along the way at whatever catches your fancy. And take my word for it, you’ll see lots of shops out here to catch your fancy.
Skiing/Snowboarding/Tubing
Though they’re closer to Boone and Blowing Rock than to Banner Elk, the nine slopes at Appalachian Ski Mountain are a good place for rookies to learn how to ski. The resort boasts a 364-foot vertical drop. It’s located on U.S. 321 south of Boone. Snowboarding and outdoor ice skating are also available. For more information, call 800-322-2373 or visit www.appskimtn.com.
How many times have you heard the rallying call, “Ski Beech”? Lots, right? Well, there’s a reason: at 5,505 feet on Beech Mountain, Ski Beech is higher than any other ski resort in eastern America. You can choose among 15 slopes (the vertical drop here is 830 feet) and also enjoy the outdoor ice-skating rink and the opportunities for snow tubing and snowboarding. From Banner Elk, drive the Beech Mountain Parkway to the top. For more information, call 800-438-2093 or visit www.skibeech.com.
Hawksnest Golf and Ski Resort has 13 slopes and a vertical drop of 669 feet. Though it sports some beginner’s terrain, it’s more of an intermediate skier’s mountain. Snow tubing is also offered. The resort is located off N.C. 105 outside Boone. For more information, call 800-822-4295 or visit www.hawksnest-resort.com.
Sugar Mountain Resort boasts 20 slopes and the highest vertical drop—1,200 feet—in the Southeast. If that’s not enough, you can slide down a 700-foot-long tubing run. For more information, call 800-784-2768 or visit www.skisugar.com.
Grandfather Mountain is more than a mountain; it’s a private park that’s been designated an International Biosphere Reserve. You can walk across the Mile-High Swinging Bridge (which is not as scary as it sounds, and from which the views of the mountains are spectacular on a clear day), visit the zoo to see native animals, step inside the nature museum, enjoy a picnic, catch a quick bite in the café, or hike one of the many strenuous trails. An admission fee is charged. For more information, call 800-468-7325 or visit www.grandfather.com
Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, noted for its gorgeous stone buildings, is the highest college east of the Mississippi. It’s home to the Lees-McRae Summer Theatre, a professional company that produces three musicals each summer. For more information, call 828-898-5241 or visit www.lmc.edu.
Festivals/Events
More Resources
You can contact the Avery County/Banner Elk Chamber of Commerce by calling 800-972-2183 or visiting www.banner-elk.com.
For trail information inside Pisgah National Forest, contact the Grandfather Ranger District by calling 828-652-2144.
See the “Weekend with Yosef” and “Weekend at the Blowing Rock” chapters for other nearby activities.