Grandfather Mountain, Nature on a Whole Different Level
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Nature Walks & Hiking Trails

Backcountry Hiking - Trail Descriptions:
West Side Trails

The West Side Trails are accessed from NC 105, 0.7 miles north of the intersection with NC 184.

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…

" My husband and I went to the Highland Games 3 years in a row 03-05. But we enjoyed hiking the ridge back towards Boone to the Profile Trail as much as anything. We hope to hike there again real soon. "

Andrea

Winston Salem, NC