Grandfather Mountain, I have seen its jagged peaks many times as it is one of the most iconic mountains in the eastern U.S. So, it is easy to figure out that it is one of the place high on my list to visit. For most of my life, I thought most of what Grandfather Mountain was about was the Mile-High Swinging Bridge. However, I learned there is a lot more to Grandfather Mountain than the bridge. The mountain is actually made up of four peaks; Linville Peak (5,295 ft.) which is on the far side of the Mile-High Bridge. The second is 5,844 foot MacRae Peak and the third is nearby Attic Window Peak coming in at 5,949 feet. Finally, there is the tallest peak on the mountain and that is Calloway Peak clocking in at 5,964 feet.
What the mountain is famous for.
The four peaks of Grandfather Mountain from Hump Mountain
The main path traversing these peaks is the Grandfather Trail There are two ways to access the main peaks. The first ones (trailheads on the East & West sides of the mountain) are from the North Carolina State Park, which is free of charge. The second is from the private park that the Mile-High Swinging Bridge is a part of. I have always wanted to see the bridge and the fact it was almost 10-mile round trip from the state park trailheads (I will explain why starting from the state park was a bad idea). So, since this was my first trip to Grandfather Mountain I decided to pay the free at that private park.
At the entrance...
...was the first of three visitor centers.
These two are...
...Split Rock, but the one on the right...
...is also Sphinx Rock.
Since I had planned to hike I parked at the Black Rock Parking Area, but before heading up I had to fill out a registration paper to put in my window tell when I left out, where I was going and an emergency contact, not a bad idea (I would later find out why it was a great idea). Anyway, I took the half-mile Bridge Trail to the top. Once there I took some time to enjoy the Mile-High Swinging Bridge and the views from Linville Peak, and they were spectacular. From the area of the bridge where I was headed next was clearly in view...MacRae Peak.
Headed toward the Bridge...
...on the Bridge Trail....
...which goes under the Bridge.
The Mile-High Swinging Bridge (in the distance Linville Peak)...
...& the mile-high point.
Here is the high point of Linville Peak...
...& the Roan Highlands from Linville Peak.
The Bridge & MacRae Peak in the background.
Before I headed out this older gentleman who was there watching for hawks showed me, through a scope, some of the path up the mountain. I had read that it was one of the most technically challenging trails in the southeast. Hawk Man told me his wife wouldn't go up this one set of ladders and later I would find out why.
MacRae Peak where I am headed...
...& the set of Ladders "the Hawk Man" showed me.
At the trailhead, it said for experienced hikers, which I guessed covered me. Right from the start the trail was uphill and rocky, but I didn't think it was too bad. That all changed when I got to Grandfather Gap. It is here that the trail splits with the yellow-blazed Underwood Trail going left and the Grandfather Trail headed right and up, and I mean up.
Check out the sign here...
...& here. Oh, the warning about death is smaller than the one about Pets.
The view from "the Patio."
Grandfather Gap...
...it was here that I went right.
It was long before I reached the first of nine ladders, yes I said nine. I will say it wasn't too bad, but they got tougher each one I reached until I came to the set of four that went up the cliff face of MacRae. As I mentioned earlier Hawk Man said his wife would go any further and I discovered why. It was a white-knuckled climb up the first, then the small second and finally the third. When I got to it there was a small edge on the cliff where I sat to get my barrings (and courage). I looked up at the fourth latter and thought to myself "I don't know if I can make it up?" I will give some context I think I have mentioned before that I have a little latter vertigo. It has bothered me when scaling some of the rickety fire towers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but not like this. The last time I felt fear like this was on the way back from the second Chimney Top in the Smokies. While sitting and contemplating my next move happen to look down from wince I came and I said to myself, again, "the way back down looks worse than going up...so I headed up. I was happy when I got up to some ridge top. To see how it looked going up check out Dean Ruscoe video of the climb I did.
The first of the ladders...
...yes you have to squeeze in there for another ladder.
One of the faces of the mountain.
Here is the start of the ladders "the Hawk Man" warned me about...
...here is looking down from the ledge (it was way sketchier than this picture)
Looking back at the Bridge from the ledge.
I came this far, so up it is...
...I made it & here is the vista from the ridgeline!
While there were two more ladders it was nothing like coming up that. I finally arrived at MacRae Peak which looks like a huge boulder on top. Oh, if you have been keeping count there was one more ladder and some cables to assist getting to the top. Once there I had the whole peak to myself and it was worth all of the trouble getting there. It took me an hour and 45 minutes to go about a mile. This was the single most difficult stretch of trail I have ever traversed. I would never have made it from the state park, which would have added three miles (one-way) just to Callaway Peak.
You knew that there would be another ladder.
MacRae Peak & if you look close you can see...
...this ladder to the left.
I had it to myself, except for this Cooper Hawk.
The vista from Macrae Peak...
...& the summit marker.
I could see the Linville Viaduct.
After enjoying the peak another hiker came named Anthony I headed down before him but met up with him in MacRae Gap, which is where the Underwood Trail meets back up with the Grandfather. I was going on to Attic Window Peak which was another two-tenths of a mile, so Anthony joined me. While not as hard as what I faced coming up MacRae Peak the hike up Attic Window can be described a rugged and steep. First, you have to navigate " the Shute" and then it is a short hard climb which paid off with an incredible vista and a good look at MacRae Peak.
I kept going on the Grandfather Trail...
...through the Shute...
...up the steep, rocky path...
...to Attic Window (yes there is a campsite)...
...to this panorama...
...with a great view of MacRae Peak.
This is where I and Anthony parted ways he headed back while I travelled another tenth of a mile to Indian House Cave. It was here that I decided to head back. Yes it was 1.2 miles to Callaway Peak but it I also had to come back and it was three o'clock and I needed to be back at my car around five. On the way back I took the Underwood Trail. Like the name says it takes a lower path back to Grandfather Gap. While not as challenging as the Grandfather Trail (just one ladder) don't think it was easy. It was rocky and rugged and the mile back took almost an hour.
Indian House Cave...
...on the way back on the Underwood Trail...
...which offered this view...
...& this ladder.
Back at Grandfather Gap and said trail.
I then took another opportunity to enjoy the Mile-High Swinging Bridge and then bought a few souvenirs at the Top Shop. I got back to the car around 4:20 and I decided that I could do the Black Rock Trail and get back by 5 pm.
Back to the Bridge are & the Top Shop (left).
One more look at the Swinging Bridge.
Headed back...
...to where I am parked.
It was a two- mile out-and-back to Arch Rock and Grandmother View, which to no surprise you had to climb a ladder and use a cable to get to the vista. The best view was of Grandfather Mountain, including the Mile-High Swinging Bridge and MacRae Peak. I double-timed it back and will admit that I left the trail just past 5 pm.
One more hike on Black Rock Trail...
...to Arch Rock...
...& the vista (which I had to climb, another, ladder to get too).
A Doe & Fawn (not pictured) greeted me at the trailhead.
I still had about 45 minutes before the park closed, so I decided to squeeze just a little bit more out of my day in the park with a trip to the Grandfather Mountain Nature Museum and the Animal Habitats. I will say that the animal habits were pretty large especially the one for the Black Bears. I ended up leaving the park at 6 pm, which means I was there from open to close now that is a great day at Grandfather Mountain.
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