Beacon Heights Overlook Trail — Attraction in Newland

Incredible spot for sunrises!!! The parking is a bit tricky as my GPS took me to a road that has no signs or indication of Beacon Heights. I ended up following the one car width dirt road for a bit before turning around. I then spotted some folks in a parking lot on the left (as I exited the desolate road). I had to go back out to the main road and make my way to the parkway where I could access the parking lot.

The trail is short (0.2 mile), uphill and rocky. I recommend boots that are slip resistant as the rocks on the trial can get slippery.

When you near the top of the trail, you’ll see a part on the path where a bench is. (There are a few benches along the way for those that may need to take it slow) I read in reviews to go left for a more magnificent view. However, I went to the right and still found incredible beauty. (See photos)

I sat on the summit for about three hours, taking in the beauty of the Autumn foliage and journaling. Family’s and groups came and went.

I then headed to a recommended restaurant close by for a delicious breakfast at Tartan Restaurant...

Awesome trail. Almost completely shaded with trees and vegetation, except when you get to the top. Then you're standing on a massive, slanted boulder rock formation. If you have a serious fear of heights, you can stay near the trail base instead of walking out onto the boulder.

The view is awesome, you can get neat panorama photos, and the temperature along the trail and at the top was several degrees cooler than in town. The trail itself has a fair climb with rocks, tree roots, and boulders to navigate. It's not super easy but also not very difficult, if you are just moving at a steady pace it may take 45 minutes to an hour to do the main trail. There are a few other branching trails available too, from about 1 to 13 miles.

The dogs loved it, we loved it. Parking is off the Blue Ridge Parkway, right at the base of the trailhead, don't go down the residential dirt road, like we did, oops. There's a map for trail...

The sign when you started the trail promised a 1 mile hike, but it ended up being about 2.7 miles one way of some intense hiking. Quite a few times we wondered where the trail was and if we had ended up lost, and most of the trail is difficult to maneuver if you are in any way handicapped, whether it's a bad knee or it's hard to jump from one rock to another, you should know it's not an easy hike. HOWEVER, the view once we made it was simply gorgeous. I would not suggest bringing young children as the outlook is just a cliff face that drops off, no railings or anything to stop you from falling. All of that being said, again the view is amazing. We were up there when a storm was rolling in so the clouds were beautiful! If you're up for an adventure, I...