highland games grandfather mountain 2021

#HIGHLAND GAMES GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN 2021 FULL#

Interesting stops along the way include the Half Moon Overlook where you can see two peaks, the Linville Peak, and the one behind it that is simply called Second Peak.

Representatives from the park have just advised me that they have shifted to an online reservation system, so be sure to book your tickets in advance! Since 2009, proceeds go to the non-profit Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation that protects mountain wildlife and research, as well as maintaining the animal habitats higher up in the Grandfather Mountain State Park, so you can feel good paying that $22 adult/$9 child admission price.

#HIGHLAND GAMES GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN 2021 FULL#

This beautiful flower is native only to northwestern North Carolina, with the highest concentration among the woods of Grandfather Mountain, and it is nearly impossible to find elsewhere.Īmong the woods you can also find mixed hardwoods, entire clearings full of rhododendrons, 64 types of flowering plants, and over 70 rare or endangered species. Grandfather Mountain is home to the elusive Rhododendron vaseyi, also known as the Pink-Shell Azalea. You can also stick to one of the gentler trails like the Asutsi, Black Rock Nature Trail, and the Woods Walk which are each just 0.4 miles long.Ĭlick here for a map or here to view the park’s trail info. Rangers offer guided hikes or visitors may hike on their own, but several trails like the Crest Hikes and Backcountry Hikes are known for being severely technical, extremely challenging, and requiring special equipment. I will also say that I am thankful my friend and her beast of a Jeep for this trip. In a rare instance, I will say that these views are breathtaking. There is a small wooden sign marking the exact filming spot. The scene shows this location around 3:45 in this YouTube clip: These prominent hairpin curves have been used to film speedy car commercials and that well-known scene in Forest Gump where Forest is running and running and running.

The State of North Carolina owns and manages around 2,500 acres on the mountain’s back country and the attraction features comprise around 270 acres.ĭriving up is a bit of a white-knuckled affair. Grandfather Mountain as an attraction is a private, nonprofit nature park, owned and operated by the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundations, that is on the actual Grandfather Mountain itself. My song for this entry is a heavy cover of Edvard Grieg’s classic “Hall of the Mountain King” by Apocalyptica:ĭaniel Boone tread through these forests on foot in the 1760s, but visitors can now drive the 2.5-mile distance to the parking lot near the base of the swinging bridge. Grandfather Mountain is among the most rough and rugged mountains in Eastern USA and at 5,946 feet (1,812 m), it has the highest peak on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Highland games grandfather mountain 2021