DO NOT VISIT THIS PARK IN A RV or LARGE VEHICLE! We came from Boone which from our Google map said…read more23 minutes or 5 miles. The road to park is very steep in sections and has two (2) hairpin turns not designed for large heavy vehicles. When we got to the state park, at what felt like the top of the mountain, the only thing we saw were a dozen or so new picnic tables surrounded by a field of leafless trees ~ mid April. Very disappointed to say the least. IMPORTANT: On the way back down to Boone our brakes started to fail at about an .08 of the way down and we had the pull over and let them cool down for 45 minutes to let them stop smoking. This was a very scary experience and a poor decision to visit. Absolutely would not recommend this experience in any car or in an RV!!! Hope this helps someone.

Well marked trails in a beautiful clean natural environment. Easy to find state park just 11 miles…read morenorth of Boone. There is no park entry fee. Signage and way finding are very good. There are 5.5 miles of trails. To the summit seems a straight uphill climb. You need to have good shoes on and be somewhat in shape. The view is supposedly spectacular. Our party didn't make it, we took a flatter trail. There is a Junior Ranger Program and an interesting hiking guide to search for fungi. Picnic areas are available. There is a fee to camp. Dogs on leashes are welcome to outside areas, but not inside buildings.

Great weather even in the middle of the summer lots of shade great for dogs and families with young…read morekids

Favorite trail on the blue ridge parkway! We love this hike. It's steep and rewarding. Single file…read morein most places, but offering gorgeous vistas from flat stone outcroppings. Not too long, with good parking availability. We have seen families with children and seniors hiking this trail, but I would still rate the difficulty fairly high for this region if you go all the way to the top.

About 1.6mi to the end of the trail. Do you need hiking shoe, not really unless the ground is wet…read more There are a lot of rocks so when it is wet you can slip and fall. The are muddy spot too but you can walk around it carefully. Another thing is there are about 500' of elevation change so hiking back to the parking lot will raise your heart rate. These are all the caution I can think off. Now the views, yes it is not a big waterfall but still nice. Glen Marie fall you can walk next to it if water flow is not too heavy. Trails are clean which is good, meaning people pick up after themselves. If you can't find start point, just drive slow on Laurel lane and you will see a small sign for parking.

Beautiful!!!! The falls were so fun. I loved seeing them. Also, this is a really convenient…read morelocation (so close to downtown blowing rock!) and it was not very crowded. This might be a difficult hike, though. If you want to get all the way to the falls, there is a lot of elevation change. It's tiring! We also saw a snake on one of the bridges and had to be extra careful to cross without disturbing the snake.

Took the trail from Dennis Cove rd. Beautiful well maintained trail. Fairly moderate until the…read morefinal climb down. Very steep but plenty of places to rest. Definitely one of my favorite waterfalls hikes yet.

An amazing place with a lot of tiny trails on the side. Great for photography and even just to…read morerelax.

At the visitor center, you can hike to both side of the gorge. Plunge basin is harder trail than…read morethe south side where overlook and upper falls is at. During warmer season, bathroom are open and there is a gift shop too.

Linville falls is a great, short hiking trail to see some cool looking falls. Look at my pictures…read morefor the falls. There are also a few short trails that are kind of connected. So if you do all of them you can cover a lot of ground. It is a nice stop at mile marker 316 on blue ridge parkway.

A nice quiet addition to the NC state parks! The drive up the rocky mountain is *quite* an…read moreexperience but well worth the trip to the top. Stunning views and 6 miles of moderate terrain to high. Some parts built by the CCC. There is a logging museum, bathrooms (running water), lots of trash cans and places to picnic. There is a covered picnic area with fire places and an amphitheater. Would love to know more about its history! About an hour south of Stone Mountain State Park.

Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest in Purlear is a great forest to hike and learn in. I…read morelike that this forest is a little out of the way and harder to get to as it is not as crowded as other parks and attractions in the area. The day I was able to go there was not too many people there and it was cool to enjoy the quiet and nature without the noise and crowds that come with other areas. I really liked the different trails as they went deep into the forest and I was able to learn a lot about the forest with the many educational displays located throughout the trails. They had some really good views from the top of the mountain too. I really enjoyed my time here in this underrated location.

We were looking for a place to go hiking where we could see good fall colors. We found a guide that…read moresaid this would be the perfect elevation for the weekend we wanted to go. There isn't much parking, maybe 5-10 spots, but tons of cars park along the road. The last few miles to get there is a bumpy gravel road. I had read that it was a 1.5 mile round trip hike, but it ended up being around 2.3 miles. It was a pretty short hike to the summit, but it was a decent climb. It's not marked all that well. At the first split, take a left. There is a sign that points you back to the parking lot which you can use in reverse to figure out which way the summit must be. There's another split close to the top. We were told that both ways will take you to the summit with the left being shorter and steeper. The views at the summit are breathtaking. You can get a view from the left side, but the actual summit is to the right. You can get 360 degree views that are stunning. It was incredibly windy at the summit. The hike up wasn't because of the trees blocking it, but it felt like you might get blown off the summit. We were a little disappointed because the views were still almost completely green, but leaves changing is probably happening a lot later than normal this year because of the warm weather. You can also drive a couple of miles down the road and hike to the Table Rock summit. We decided to call it a day after Hawksbill, but might come back another time. If you're looking for a short hike with awesome views, I would highly recommend this one!

What a gem this mountain is. The summit is gorgeous and plateaus in a really unique way. The view…read moreat sunset is breathtaking and there are a few areas to set up and camp. Not a lot of parking at the bottom on the dirt road so be prepared to park by the roadside.

Easy parking to head of the trail taking you to the waterfall…read more The cascades. So beautiful. We enjoyed reading about different trees & vegetation along the way. Terrific short hike with easy to moderate difficulty. Great hike with kids. Rewarding to arrive and just sit and listen/watch the falls.

Great rest stop along the Blue Ridge Parkway with picnic tables, overlook, and hiking trail with…read moreoverlooks of the Cascade Falls. Hike is easy to moderate and 30-45 minutes round trip. Restroom facilities are currently not available.