Grandfather Mountain, Nature on a Whole Different Level

Nature Walks & Hiking Trails

Grandfather Mountain State Park - Trail Descriptions:
West Side Trails

The West Side Trails are accessed from NC 105, 0.7 miles north of the intersection with NC 184. There is no charge for accessing the State Park from the off-mountain trailheads. A ticket to the attraction is required to access the trails from the Swinging Bridge.

Click on the name of a trail for a more detailed description.

Trail name Rating Blaze Length (miles)
Profile Trail Lower part is easy;
Upper part is strenuous		 No Blaze 3.1 mi. (4.9 km)
Calloway Trail Steep, strenuous, rocky Red-Blazed 0.3 mi. (0.5 km)


Profile TrailProfile Trail
Beginning as a scenic, rolling pathway through seasonal wildflowers, this trail crosses the Watauga River and travels through rhododendron thickets and under a hardwood canopy for much of its length. Upper sections, beginning around Foscoe View, get steeper and there are frequent rest stops with stone and log benches. Along one notable stretch before the trail reaches a view of the famous Grandfather Profile, hundreds of large boulders were artfully rearranged into a rock walkway called "Peregrine's Flight". Shanty Spring, at 2.7 miles in, marks the transition of this trail into a strenuous pathway of tumble-down rocks that joins the Grandfather Trail after a climb of 0.3 miles.

Foscoe View 1.7 mi (2.7 km)
Profile Campsite 2.0 mi (3.2 km)
Profile View 2.3 mi (3.7 km)
2.5 hrs. round trip
Shanty Spring 2.7 mi (4.3 km)
3 hrs. round trip
Calloway Gap 3.1 mi (4.9 km)
3.5 hrs. round trip

Calloway Trail

This strenuous pathway of tumbled-down rock joins the Grandfather Trail after a climb of .3 miles. It makes the transition out of the hardwoods and into the Canadian fir zone of the crest area. Calloway is steep and rocky and calls for some careful footwork. Your reward is the view at the top, which opens up as you hike along the Grandfather Trail.
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What People Say…

" At the ripe ole age of 49, I had my first hiking experience with my son and his family. It was a challenge for me, but the beauty was breathtaking! The perfume of the flowers, and the forest floors and getting to see all the beauty God has bestowed on this Earth is worth every sore muscle I forgot I had! "

Cathy

Horseshoe, NC