Craggy Gardens — Local services in Black Mountain

Craggy Gardens is a park area along the Blue Ridge Parkway about 15 miles northeast of Asheville. Located around Milepost 364, Craggy Gardens is just before Mount Mitchell if coming from Asheville. The Great Craggy Mountains are a small range of high peaks around 6000 feet in elevation. A few of the summits are heath balds - no trees to block the views, but rather shrubs, including blueberry, mountain laurel, and rhododendron. In mid-June, the Catawba rhododendron bloom, lighting the mountaintop up with a sea of beautiful purple flowers. There are a couple of short trails for visitors to enjoy the beauty. The Craggy Gardens Trail is a short trail that leads from the Visitor Center to the picnic area through an area of dense rhododendron. The Craggy Pinnacle Trail leads up to its namesake peak at over 5800 feet. The summit has amazing 360° views. For a longer hike, the statewide Mountains-to-Sea Trail runs through the area and provides access to the Big Ivy area of Pisgah National Forest. Douglas Falls Trail is a strenuous 4-mile hike to a 70-foot waterfall. Snowball Trail is a moderate 4-mile hike to Snowball and Little Snowball Mountains and the former site of an old lookout tower. Note that it is almost always cooler and more windy at this high elevation, so bring something warm, even if it's hot in Asheville. And even the easy Craggy Gardens and Craggy Pinnacle Trails are rocky and steep, so bring appropriate footwear if you...

Lovely hike! Trailhead for this 1.4mile round trip hike is in the visitor’s center parking lot. The hike is a combo of up and downhill on the way to the picnic grounds. Path is very rocky and uneven. The kids loved it but would caution anyone with ankle or balance problems. We went while it was raining and therefore we didn’t get the great views. On the way you pass through a cool shelter built in the 1930s and there is a gazebo to the left of the trail (it’s marked) where I am sure you would normally have a great view of the valley. Visitor’s center has some drinks, beef jerky, snickers and mms if you need a snack. The bathrooms weren’t working but there are...

If you drive the BRP, you have to stop by the Craggy Gardens visitors center parking and take the short hike to the overlook. The vistas are inspiring. If the dew point is just right, you will be in the clouds. Air from the W-NW rushes over the ridge and turns to rolling clouds. Bring a jacket. It is always cool even in the summer. The vegetation is conforming to the constant rushing wind. It is a special place. Rangers are present to answer your questions. Pack a picnic and have a brake at the picnic grounds. You might have to share...