2.0 miles
Distance
1,176 ft
Climb
-545 ft
Descent
1 mile
High Point

Grandfather Details

  • Activities
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
    Grandfather Mountain State Park
    Banner Elk, North Carolina
  • Difficulty Rating
    Black Diamond rate
  • Voted Difficulty
    Black Diamond (1 vote)
  • Hiking SAC Scale
    T2 Mountain Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Direction
    Both Directions
  • Physical Rating
    Hard
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • Global Ranking
    #3908 in Hiking [+]
    • #24486 in Trail Running
  • Local Popularity
    95 in Hiking [+]
    • 60 in Trail Running

The Grandfather Trail runs the length of the summit ridge from the Grandfather Mountain attraction to Calloway Peak. It offers astonishing variety, running in and out of wind-dwarfed spruce and fir, across or around rock walls and pinnacles and into open spaces with mountain views in every direction. It was along this trail two centuries ago that explorer/botanist Andre Michaux broke into song thinking he had arrived at the high point of North America. The pace is often slow. There are chutes where progress is hand-over-hand and extra steep sections where hikers use in-place cables and ladders. An alternative to taking the ladders up MacRae Peak is to opt for the more sheltered Underwood Trail. Not recommended for children, inexperienced hikers, or pets.

source: https://www.ncparks.gov/
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
More Stats for Grandfather hike trail trail
  • Altitude change
    630 ft
  • Altitude min
    5,263 ft
  • Altitude start
    5,263 ft
  • Altitude end
    5,892 ft
  • Grade
    5.9%
  • Grade max
    -67.3%
  • Grade min
    85.9%
  • Distance climb
    1 mile
  • Distance down
    3,665 ft
  • Distance flat
    381 ft
  • Avg reverse time
    02:09:44
  • view trail stats
Status:
on Sep 18, 2021
Ideal
Avg: 5 (1 votes)
Your vote: 0

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Trail Conditions
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  • Snow Groomed
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  • Freeze/thaw Cycle
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      Directions to grandfather trailhead (36.096150, -81.831800)
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      Grandfather Trail Reports

      statusdatedescription
      Sep 18, 2021 @ 7:45am
      Sep 18, 2021
      view all reports »

      Recent Ridelog Activity on Trail

      Past Week
      • 0 rides
      •  
      6 Months
      • 28 rides
      • 7 miles avg distance
      All
      • 114 rides
      •  

      Technical Trail Features (TTF)

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      Grandfather Mountain State Park

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