Craggy Pinnacle Trail. The Craggy Pinnacle Trail offers the most exceptional views for the least amount of walking. This moderate minute walk begins from the upper level of the Craggy Dome Parking Overlook just north of the tunnel that is in view from the Visitor Center. Visitors are rewarded with a breathtaking degree view from its summit.
Here the heaths are mostly blueberries. A spur trail to the right, just before the summit, leads to an observation point surrounded by rugged, rocky terrain. Although stout in appearance, this is fragile habitat for many rare plants. The Snowball Mountain Trail is a moderate to strenuous 8-mile round trip and affords beautiful views.
Beware of poison ivy and stinging nettle bordering narrow portions of the trail. To reach the trailhead, start at the Mountains-to-Sea Trail crossing at the Picnic Area road and continue south a few hundred feet. Some heath areas are encountered as the trail continues up the main ridge over Snowball Mountain. From the second rock face, and 30 paces on a spur trail to the left, Hawkbill Rock provides good views of Reems Creek Valley to the west.
After joining a jeep road and reaching a turn-around area, keep to the left-most road and continue to Little Snowball Mountain and remnants of a fire tower. Overlook, a mile north of the Visitor Center. The Blue Ridge Parkway Guide is a privately owned website authored by Joe Veler and Sarah Cooke, who began work on the site after discovering their shared love of the Parkway. It is a part of the Virtual Blue Ridge Network, which aims to share the Parkway experience with long-distance viewers and to enhance it for visitors and residents.
To read more about the Virtual Blue Ridge Network, the history of this project, and what you can expect to find on the Blue Ridge Parkway Guide, click here. Base layers may not be available at all times due to system maintenance or outages. It is licensed by Creative Commons Attribution 3. Trail layers and downloadable data are all original works created by WNCOutdoors with guidance from a variety of sources, including ensembles of our own GPS tracks, user contributed GPS tracks, official maps and GIS data from government agencies, and field observations.
WNCOutdoors data is made freely available under the Open Database License - you are free to copy and use it for any purpose under the terms of that license summary. The Craggy Gardens picnic area offers a mountaintop setting with a good number of tables on a hilly site. Wheelchair-accessible restrooms with flush toilets, water, tables, fire rings, and grills are available at the picnic area in a mixture of open and shady sites. The Craggy Gardens trail starts within the picnic area and the Mountains to Sea Trail runs through it as well, meaning you can start your hike directly from the picnic area.
The Craggy Gardens visitor center, open from May - October, has some exhibits on the flora, fauna and geology of the area, as well as a small Parkway store with books, maps, and local art. Stop in for a warm-up on a cold day or to sit a spell and look out at the view. Restrooms are available under the visitor center building, but they are not wheelchair-accessible. Look for the mileposts to find the most popular stopping points:.
Craggy Gardens Trail. Large expanses of native rhododendron cover the slopes and summits of the Craggies. The area has long been known as Craggy Gardens. Throughout the summer, smaller native wildflowers cover the ground with vibrant splashes of color.
These natural garden meadows are "balds. Red berry bouquets of the mountain ash appear each fall. The berries are often encased in ice in the fall and winter. The combination of high altitude, cool weather and exposed rocky outcrops creates the necessary habitat for a number of rare and endangered plants.
While the Visitor Center is only open in the summer and fall, the parking area remains open. Due to extreme winter weather, the Parkway is closed much of the winter in this area. Just a part of the degree panoramic view from atop Craggy Pinnacle. Read more. Craggy Gardens Hikes Note: There are many fragile habitats with rare plants. Please stay on the designated trails. Our favorite hike here is the Craggy Pinnacle Trail. Info Alerts Maps Calendar Reserve. Alerts In Effect Dismiss. Dismiss View all alerts.
Craggy Gardens Hiking Trails. Growing conditions are harsh in higher elevations such as Craggy Gardens. Trees, like this one standing beside the Craggy Pinnacle Trail, grow in gnarled and twisted shapes. Craggy Gardens Trail The Craggy Gardens Trail can be accessed from the south end of the visitor center parking area or from the north end of the picnic area. From the parking area, the trail begins as a self-guided nature trail with a moderate uphill climb for.
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