This post may contain affiliate links. We may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase. Read Disclosure.
When you visit Boone, you’ll find most of the top attractions are actually located outside the city – the most famous of which are Grandfather Mountain and Linville Falls. Fortunately, these popular attractions are easily accessible as they are both located on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, a scenic drive runs through High Country.
The High Country region is all about natural beauty. It’s in the name, “high” country, so you can be sure to find mountain vistas, high elevation forests, and scenic observation decks at every turn, but you’d be remiss to visit Boone and not dedicate an entire day to exploring Grandfather Mountain and Linville Falls!
Such a great day trip
It’s worth getting up early to experience a full-day of the many beautiful viewpoints, hikes, and roadside waterfalls.
If you want to tick off these two landmarks, follow our itinerary below. This experience took a full-day and we returned to our Boone cabin just after sunset.
It was enough time for a well-rounded Blue Ridge Parkway experience that included fantastic hikes (short and longer), time to absorb the views, a restful lunch, and a happy wine tasting cheers to the day.
Grandfather Mountain and Linville Falls Itinerary
We did not get time for any pullover viewpoints along the parkway, but we got plenty of views at both Rough Ridge Overlook and Grandfather Mountain.
There is so much more you could add to this one-day road trip along the parkway, but I think it would impact the experience. Less is often more.
The two attractions are only a 30-minute drive from each other, but they also feature a variety of activities for all ages and fitness levels and require plenty of time to visit.
Here is an interactive map which shows you the route we took and each stop.
8:00am: Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway, NC
Leave Boone as early as you can and drive onto The Blue Ridge Parkway, known as “America’s favorite drive,” a spectacular road trip winding through the North Carolina mountains.
The Blue Ridge Parkway starts at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and ends at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, running through the Blue Ridge Mountains alongside the Appalachian Trail.
The Parkway actually started in the NC High Country at Cumberland Knob in 1935 and the opening of the Linn Cove Viaduct in 1987 completed it.
Sunsetting over the Blue Ridge Parkway
The High Country has about 23 percent of its 469-mile length. Many people would say it’s even more beautiful through this section than it is in the other parts.
It certainly has several of the most popular attractions on the Blue Ridge.
The views are great throughout, but there are some particularly stunning stops along this scenic drive which you should not miss!
We caught a beautiful sunset on our drive back to Boone on the Parkway.
8:30am: Hike the Rough Ridge Trail (Milepost 302.8)
Amazing view on the Rough Ridge Trail
The Rough Ridge Trail is an easy 1.5-mile return hike with an elevation gain of 480 ft.
It takes you to the most spectacular views of Grandfather Mountain, the parkway, and the Pisgah National Forest ridges below.
Just before the Linn Cove Viaduct, you’ll see the Rough Ridge Overlook parking lot on the right-hand side of the road.
Take the trail from here and veer left on the Tanawha Trail (which the Rough Ridge is part of).
It will take you to a boardwalk where you can walk onto a rock for great photos and views of Grandfather Mountain and the Linn Cove Viaduct.
Keep walking a little further past the boardwalk and you’ll see this most famous rock where you can sit and dangle over the valley below.
Swing those legs!
The photo is deceiving as there is only a short drop below to a ledge.
While you couldn’t hurt yourself too bad if you fell (you still could) it’s still a little unnerving dangling over space like that.
But boy what beautiful views and a photo opportunity.
The trail ends a little further up to the Rough Ridge Summit (4,773 ft).
Go early to beat the crowds. We arrived around 8:30am – 9:00am.
There was only one other person on the trail when we went. Sunset is meant to be stunning here but be prepared for crowds.
There will be less people in the colder months, but the view will be a little dull and brown (but still great).
Allow for about an hour on this hike, which will give you time for photos and to enjoy the view.
9:30am: Marvel at the Linn Cove Viaduct (Milepost 304.4)
Linn Cove Viadauct
The Linn Cove Viaduct, between Rough Ridge and Grandfather Mountain, is an iconic stop on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
This bridge-like structure jutting out of the side of the mountain is an engineering marvel.
It was built to preserve the beautiful scenery of Grandfather Mountain while enabling highway traffic to continue along the parkway.
A pull-off on the left before you get there leads from the north with a little walking path on the other side of the guard rail to a lookout area with the perfect vantage point of the viaduct.
The path is wide enough for walking and the drop off not too high, but still be cautious and watch children. Do NOT walk on the road!
You can also stop in at the Visitor Center on the southern side to learn more about the viaduct.
10:00am: Explore Grandfather Mountain (Milepost 305)
I spy Grandfather Mountain
You’ve been staring at it all morning on your short hike and viaduct adventures, now it’s time to flip the view from atop Grandfather Mountain.
Grandfather Mountain is one of the highest peaks in the Blue Ridge Mountain ranges. It’s an iconic thing to do in North Carolina.
The 300-million-year-old peaks stand 6,000 feet above sea level, giving you stunning 360-degree views over the Appalachian Mountain ranges.
It’s a pristine place for interacting with nature and soaking up some peace and serenity.
One-third of the mountain is a privately owned nonprofit nature preserve that operates as a paid scenic travel attraction.
The other two thirds of the wild and undeveloped sections of Grandfather Mountain are owned by the state of North Carolina.
The Grandfather Mountain state park has miles of backcountry hiking trails!
In November of 1992, the United Nations added Grandfather Mountain to its international network of Biosphere Reserves.
Grandfather is unique because in less than 5,000 acres there is habitat for 16 distinct ecological communities and 72 rare or endangered species.
Look a those views!
Grandfather Mountain is a paid attraction. Tickets are only available through online reservations, usually 2-3 weeks in advance.
Admission tickets include the Swinging Bridge, Nature Museum, hiking trails, wildlife habitats and more. See rates here.
Drive slowly up to the top while you listen to the CD/USB audio (given at the entrance) where you can learn more about Grandfather Mountain and the various stops along the winding road to the top.
I found the commentary excellent. I loved this unique way of learning more about Grandfather Mountain as you slowly drove up.
Overlooks include Half Moon Overlook, Cliffside Overlook and Sheer Bluff.
10:15am: Sphinx and Split Rocks
Great spot for portraits!
One of the first stops on the drive up to the peak are the Sphinx and Split Rocks right on the edge of the road.
Both are thought to be over 640 million years old and Sphinx Rock weighs more than 4,000 tons.
Split Rock has a huge crack in it that grew to its current size after water seeped in through a small crack and split it. It’s a good place to snap a few family photos and portraits.
10.30am: Visit the Grandfather Mountain Nature Museum
The Grandfather Mountain Nature Museum houses more than two dozen educational exhibits outlining the natural history of Grandfather Mountain and the surrounding region.
It includes gems and minerals native to the region, stories of early explorers and local birdlife.
Take your pick from scenic overlooks, hikes, nature museums, and picnic tables.
11:15am: Cliffside Overlook: Forrest Gump Curve
Forrest Gump Curve
A stop not to miss on the scenic drive up to Grandfather Mountain summit is the famous Forrest Gump Curve.
This steep hairpin curve section is where he ran with several of his followers in the movie.
Pull over at the Cliffside parking lot on the map. From here you will get this great birds eye view of Forrest Gump Curve. We stopped here on the way back down. There is also a picnic area here.
Fun Fact: It was Tom Hanks’ brother who ran the scenes. He was used as his body double in most of the running scenes in the movie.
Tom himself decided to come for the filming as he wanted to see Grandfather Mountain. Staff did not even realize they were talking to him!
11:30am: Walk the Mile High Swinging Bridge on Grandfather Mountain
It’s a mile high!
The most popular thing to do on Grandfather Mountain, especially if short on time, is the Mile High Swinging Bridge, which connects two peaks at one mile above sea level.
Even though it’s a mile up, this 228-foot suspension bridge actually only spans an 80-foot chasm.
As it is now made of galvanized steel and reinforced with cables and springs, it doesn’t swing like it used to, instead tends to sing with the whistling wind. It has railings on the sides to ensure safety!
It’s worth it, even if you are afraid of heights.
Linville Peak
The 360 degree views from here are incredible. Once across the bridge, continue out on the rock cliffs for spectacular views atop Linville Peak, elevation 5,305 feet. It can get busy here so go slow and watch for sharp drop offs.
View from Linville Peak
From the top parking area, take a few flights of steps or ride the elevator to a short path.
I didn’t realize until it was too late, but you can park in the bottom parking lot (Black Rock Parking Area), and take a trail from there up to the Swinging Bridge, which is about half a mile one way.
Swinging bridge Grandfather Mountain
We would have time for that and I know I would have enjoyed it.
12:00pm Lunch: The Tin Trout
As it was colder, a picnic lunch was not as enticing for us. We’re also terrible at planning these things in advance.
So if you don’t pack a picnic to enjoy at Grandfather Mountain, you’ll have to detour off the Blue Ridge Parkway to find a place to eat.
Otherwise you can drive straight down to Linville Fall.
Linville is the nearest town to Grandfather Mountain (3 miles) so you’ll find a few options there.
We randomly stumbled upon the Tin Trout, located a little past Linville, and still on the way to Linville Falls.
We discovered a cozy homestyle environment with warm Southern service and seasonal creative farm to table meals.
As you can imagine, trout is the star feature of the menu in dishes such as smoked trout dip, salad, platter, or carbonara. We took our grilled trout with a side of delicious mash and brussel sprouts!
You’ll also find other southern dishes like chicken and waffles, Shrimp Po Boy, fried chicken, shrimp and grits, cornbread and burgers.
1:30pm: Hike to Linville Falls (Milepost 316)
Linville from Chimney Rock overlook
Now, let’s follow the Linville River from its beginning point high on Grandfather Mountain as it flows two thousand feet down to form a two-tiered cascading falls at Linville Falls, before dropping 90 feet into the beautiful, forested Linville Gorge.
Linville Gorge is affectionately known as the Grand Canyon of the Southern Appalachians, and ends at Lake James and the Catawba River.
You can see why it’s known as “Eeseeoh” or “River of Cliffs” in Cherokee and is one of the star attractions of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Since we’ve seen some stunning waterfalls in the US (and the world i.e., Victoria Falls), it’s hard for us to be wowed by them, but we loved Linville Falls and agree it’s one of North Carolina’s bucket list items.
I’d especially love to return in the summer to see it surrounded by the lush forest landscape.
Linville Falls is part of the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area, a popular area of hikers and rock climbers.
Our experience hiking to Linville Falls
Hiking the trail
The Linville Falls overlooks can be reached along two trails that lead from the Linville Falls Visitors Center, that go to five different overlooks. You could easily hike one trail there, and the other back, and make it into a round trip hike.
Linville Falls is more than just a “snap your I was here” photo, which I liked about it.
It’s a lovely hike through the virgin hemlock forest mixed with other trees such as such as white pine, oaks, hickory, and birch.
Linville Falls trail
The main trail is a 1.6-mile round-trip walk taking you to four of the overlooks. Each offers a unique perspective of the Falls, and all worth experiencing.
The first overlook is Upper Falls Overlook, which offers a unique perspective of the Upper Falls flowing through the narrow canyon where it disappears and plunges forty-five feet over the lower falls. You can see it in our Reel here.
The next overlook is Chimney View, which was probably my favorite as got take in both the lower and upper falls for a closer look than the other viewpoints.
The overlook is named for the chimney-like outcroppings located to the right of the waterfall.
Chimney Rocks view of Upper and Lower Falls
Continuing on you’ll reach Erwins View overlooks at the trail end. From here, you’ll get a distant view of the upper and lower falls and be able to hike along the Erwins View Trail.
Even though I think Chimney View is better, it’s still worth walking the extra bit up here. It’s not that much further.
Near here is also the panoramic Linville Gorge View. Be prepared for bright sunlight if you go in the afternoon which made it hard to see
Don’t miss the Plunge Basin overlook which gives you a magnificent view of the lower falls and chimney view above.
Plunge Basin Overlook
The Plunge Basin trail is to the left of the restroom block in the bottom car park. You’ll see some stone stairs hiding in the forest.
Follow it through the forest until you come to the viewpoint. It branches off in one part to go further down the river. We did not take that trail.
Surprisingly, no one else was on this trail, whereas the other one was quite busy. A steep flight of stairs will take you to rock-walled perch above the falls.
The viewpoint from here was close to the lower falls and beautiful. You also got a great view up to Chimney View outcroppings.
Plunge basin trail
In this area is also the Linville Gorge Trail, which you can turn down from the Plunge Basin View junction, which takes you down to the river.
There is also a gravel parking lot halfway up to the Falls – not far from the Lower Falls Campground. GPS took us here.
From here we hiked up to the Erwin’s View Overlooks, then back down to the other overlooks, ending at Plunge Basin and then walked back up to the car.
It takes about an hour to hike the trail out and back, but we stopped to take photos, so I would say to set 1.5 hours aside to do this hike.
3:00pm: Wine Tasting at Linville Falls Winery
Beautiful NC winery
What a surprise Linville Falls Winery was! We only learned about it when we drove past a crowd of people sitting in the sun with gorgeous valley and mountain views.
We decided we’d return after our Linville Falls hike. It was the perfect end to a wonderful day spent exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway.
This family owned and operated 40-acre vineyard, winery, and farm sits in a fertile valley between hills in the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains.
Cool nights, low humidity, and an elevation of 3,200-3,400 ft allows the grapevines to thrive and ripen slowly into fresh vibrant flavors. Varieties include Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Noiret, Marquette, Petit Verdot, Marechal Foch, and their flagship grape, Riesling.
North Carolina is not typically known for wine, but it’s wineries like this that is starting to give it a label of “Place to watch for quality wines”
Linville Winery 
It’s family-friendly (and pet-friendly) with a beautiful outdoor seating area overlooking the vines and the Christmas tree farm (which was a hive of activity.) There is a small pond with Adirondack chairs as well.
We each chose a wine tasting flight and grabbed some cheese and crackers from the fridge. You are welcome to bring your own snacks and they sometimes have food trucks. (And live music in the warmer months)
I loved the Riesling and Chardonnay and I found their Brandy Barrel Aged Cabernet Sauvignon to be outstanding and very similar to one of my favorite Double Barrel Jacob’s Creek wines back in Australia (which you can get at Harris Teeter!)
5:00pm: Back to Boone via Blowing Rock
If you feel up to it, you can pass by the Blowing Rock on your way back to Boone, which would make for the perfect sunset viewpoint.
It will take you about 45 minutes to drive to Blowing Rock from Linville Winery.
This outcropping of rock sits 4090 feet above John’s River Gorge, which has a mysterious prevailing wind always blowing over it.
Some people say that it’s been known to return thrown light objects thrown over into the void.
There’s a Native American myth attached to this landmark. It tells of a brave Cherokee torn between duty and love for his maiden, who leapt from the Rock into the wilderness below.
She prayed daily until the Great Spirit blew her lover back onto the rock via a gust of wind.
Since then, a perpetual wind has blown up over the rock from the valley.
It doesn’t take long to visit. It’s just the rock, a few extra viewpoints, and a small hiking trail. The views here are beautiful and worth seeing.
7:00pm: Dinner in Boone
End your day with dinner in Boone. One thing we loved about our trip to Boone was how fresh and organic the food scene was.
There’s a real emphasis on farm-to-table dining and good ol’ Southern hospitality.
We have a complete guide on restaurants and bars in Boone, so be sure to give that a read to find somewhere to eat.
Tips For Visiting The Blue Ridge Parkway
Rough Ridge Trail, NC
- Fill your car with fuel before starting, just to be sure.
- For this trip, it might be best to pack a picnic lunch as restaurants are few and far between. Plus, if its busy you may not get in or have a long wait.
- The Parkway is windy with a speed limit of 45mp, sometimes going as low as 25mph in busy areas. Leave enough time and drive slowly.
- There are many overlooks, which make pulling off the road easier. There are also a few passing zones.
- Parking is available at trailheads and overlooks and you can park on the grassy shoulder of the road as long as you are off the road and on firm ground.
- It’s always cooler on the parkway (up to 10 degrees) so dress accordingly and throw in a raincoat just in case.
- The weather can be unpredictable in transitional seasons and winter snows can last for weeks. Always do your research.
More Travel Tips For The Blue Ridge Parkway
While you’re exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway, why not check out these other guides for destinations on the scenic route:
Pin To Save It On Pinterest
Please visit:
Our Sponsor