First full day at Grandfather Mountain

Our first day in the Grandfather area. It’s our 4th visit to this area and it’s always been one of our favorite places. We drove some curvy roads to hike the Boone Fork trail. We did this 5.5 mile loop the first time we visited the area in early 2021 and were excited to return. We love that the rhododendrons are in full bloom and some parts of the trail were adventurous navigating large trees and boulders strewn about from Hurricane Helene. The evidence of the storm is still almost everywhere you look in this area but we are so thankful for the hard work put in to make these areas open and safe. We refueled with delicious grilled cheese in Blowing Rock, a small town we always have to visit when in the area. We tried to get reservations at a boutique restaurant on a mountain peak but they were fully booked the week we are here. Suddenly one popped open for tonight so we cleaned up and headed up the mountains to Gideon Ridge. We had an amazing dinner with an amazing view, and drove back to the campground in a cloud. First time trying escargot and it was actually quite tasty.Read more