Rough Ridge Lookout - Grandfather Mountain, NC. — Attraction in Banner Elk

This is one of the must-do hikes along the BRP just for the views it offers. It is short (less than 0.6 miles to the summit) but moderate difficulty. You could complete it in less than an hour depending on how fast you’re doing it. The parking lot can get full really fast - I went around 8:30 am on a Friday morning, and it was almost full. The hike mostly involves making your way through rocky and wooden steps and stairs, and it offers three overlooks - the first one is along wooden stairs and offers great photo opportunity, the second one is the most iconic, and the third one was disappointing imo.

From the lot you can actually see the creek and the wooden bridge. Starting the hike, you’re treated with the Tanawha Trail sign. Follow left at the marker that says MST (towards Linn Cove). You will be greeted by a wooden bridge soon. From here the first overlook will appear in less than 10 mins (about 0.3 miles from the parking lot). The views from here are absolutely stunning. I did it during peak-fall and the colors took my breath away. You can see the Linn cove viaduct and Grandfather Mtn. from here. The second overlook is iconic - the one you always see in pictures. Be a little careful here but views are again amazing! The summit overlook needs you to hike further up but doesn’t offer anything extra except getting you closer to Grandfather Mtn., and I felt it was a...

This is one of the places with mesmerizing views. Couple of things to note here are This place is after curvy road in google maps The parking lot will be full most of the time during weekend , don’t worry you can park at roadside as there is little extra space (make sure the mirrors are just closed to avoid hit by any passing cars) Once you start trekking you will get confused as it is not written about path to rough ridge but there are other places mentioned so just continue trekking towards your left which crosses through a small wooden bridge immediately and that is the way for rough ridge During rainy season the path will be muddy and slippery so better wear shoes with grip than sandals and sneakers . That’s it and get ready for...

Rough Ridge is a rocky outcrop running south from Grandfather Mountain with fantastic views. There are actually several overlooks along a beautiful boardwalk trail that stretches over 200-feet. Do stay on the trail to avoid damaging the ecologically sensitive areas that make this place so beautiful. The boardwalk is part of the Tanawha Trail, so there are many ways to access, but the shortest is from the Rough Ridge Parking Area at mile post 302.8 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's under a mile from here. If the parking is full, as it frequently is on nice weekends, the next closest is Wilson Creek Overlook at mile post 303.6. It's about 1.4 miles from here. My last visit was on a cloudy day so couldn't see too far, but the fall color was...