Craggy Gardens / Craggy Pinnacle / Greybeard Mountain Overlook

VIA – Blueridge Parkway & Mountains-to-Sea Trail

Total Distance Hiked: 5.4 miles

AllTrails Rating (combined): Easy/Moderate

famBeta Rating: Awe-Inspiring & Easy Hike

famBeta Time: Not counting our drive time on the Blueridge Parkway (BRP) we hiked in and around the Craggy Gardens area for about three and a half hours. While the parkway was full the parking lots in this area were only about 50% full at any given point. We saw very few people on the MST below Craggy Gardens however Craggy Pinnacle was quite busy.

What do you do when celebrating your 10th Anniversary during a global pandemic? Risk it all and travel internationally as you did on your Honeymoon? Book a weekend getaway at a swanky hotel in the city? If you’re anything like us, and you haven’t been away from all three kids for a weekend, like ever, you plan something a little more in-line with your favorite hobbies. We opted to travel to Black Mountain, NC, stay in an AirBNB cabin, and explore Asheville and the Craggy Gardens area.

Craggy Garden’s had been on our wish list for a long time but never quite made the cut. It was always snubbed by what we thought would be more enjoyable or beautiful hikes to waterfalls. I’d read, over and over, on travel and trip sites about the BRP and hiking in Western NC that this was home to the most beautiful views on the BRP, and I can honestly say, that from what we’ve experienced on the Parkway this is an accurate description.

From Black Mountain it took us about 45 minutes to reach the Greybeard Mountain Overlook, but we didn’t mind. Not only did we not have any children with us, but the drive itself was worth the trip.

This section of the BRP winds around mountains and darts through tunnels as you climb to nearly 6,000′ in elevation. On the day we traveled most of the western face of these mountains were covered in frost, while the eastern side were painted with the colors of late fall. Regardless as to which side of the mountains you were on, however, it was a cold, cold day.

Our initial goal was to hike down to Douglas Falls, however after exploring the vistas from the overlooks, and hiking along the MST we abandoned those plans out of fear of losing daylight. While we came prepared with headlamps in our day packs, we weren’t too keen on night hiking over the ice-covered boulders.

In lieu of visiting the waterfall we opted instead to hike back to the overlook, past frozen berries, and frost covered trees. Once we were able to warm up in the Forester we headed back down the Parkway and stopped at Craggy Pinnacle. This short .7 mile hike is well worth the trip, the views from atop the mountain were even more breathtaking than the 20 degree air.

As we followed the parkway back to our cabin we witnessed throngs of drivers headed up for a sunset view of Western NC. I can only imagine how beautiful the sunset must have been that evening but we had other plans – it was, as Sintax77 would say “Cheeseburger Time” and we had a restaurant in Black Mountain picked out for our post-hike meal.

While we did this as a Couple’s Hike, you can, and definitely should, bring your kids, although I would recommend doing it during warmer weather. Remember, the temps at 6,000′ are going to be 20-30 degrees colder than they will be in Asheville or Black Mountain. It’ll be much windier too, so pack layers for you and your hiking party to keep everyone comfortable all day.

I recall this day so fondly. It was a really amazing way for us to spend our 10th Anniversary. After so many years together we still get such a thrill out of exploring together and I’m so blessed to have such an amazing partner.