Half-Day Guided Hikes

Begins June 1, 2013

9:30am - 12:30pm

$10 per person

Spa Day-cation with Hike

Sunday - Thursday

June 1 - September 1, 2013

$129 per person

Includes:

Two-hour Hike

Complimentary Fitness and Yoga Classes

Wellness-Minded Spa Lunch (lunches are served chilled)

Choice of Signature Massage or Signature Facial

Use of Pool, Sauna, Jacuzzi and Fitness Center

Reservations must be made through the Spa at Chetola Resort.

Call 828-295-5531 or dial 531 from inside Chetola Lodge or the Bob Timberlake Inn.

Hiking Destinations

Boone Fork Trail

This 5.5-mile loop trail provides clear streams, pastures, large rock outcrops, meadows and shaded, rhododendron-filled woods.

Approx. duration: 2.5 hours

Transportation: Yes

Level of Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous

Weather: Unsuitable for rain

Manor House Circuit

The quintessential Blowing Rock hike to historic Cone Manor and back from gorgeous Bass Lake.

Approx. duration: 1.5 hours

Transportation: No

Level of Difficulty: Gentle

Weather: Suitable for rain

The Maze

More than 25 miles of road-width carriage paths on Moses Cone Memorial Park Trails wander lightly on the land, creating easy avenues for carefree strolls, jogging and, in winter, cross-country skiing. At times, they corkscrew mysteriously, i.e. The Maze, through woods draped in evergreens, rhododendron and decidous trees.

Approx. duration: 1 hour

Transportation: No

Level of Difficulty: Gentle

Weather: Suitable for rain

Flat Top Mountain Fire Tower

This 2.8-mile trail leading from Moses Cone's historic Manor house runs beneath the Blue Ridge Parkway, up a slight hill beside a vast pasture (site of Mr. Cone's poetic gravesite), and then plunges you into the woods through moderately inclined switchbacks. In decades past, this tower was used to keep an eye out for fires in the surrounding valleys. Nowadays, the tower provides terrific views of Grandfather and Sugar mountains, Blowing Rock and Boone in a 360° panoramic view.

Approx. duration: 1.5 hours

Transportation: Yes

Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Weather: Suitable for rain

Glen Burney Falls

A rugged experience just steps from downtown Main Street. Descending 800 feet into the John's River Gorge, the trail follows New Year's Creek with views of three waterfalls. This 1.6-mile trail ends at Glen Mary Falls; the breathtaking view is well worth the demanding hike back up to Annie Cannon Gardens.

Approx. duration: 2 hours

Transportation: No

Level of Difficulty: Strenuous

Weather: Unsuitable for rain

Price Lake

This 2.7-mile loop circles the shoreline of 47-acre Price Lake, where you might catch a glimpse of colorful boats, as it is the only lake in the Cone Manor park that allows motorized crafts. Low-growing evergreen galax and ground pine flourish year-round near the trail.

Approx. duration: 1 hour

Transportation: Yes

Level of Difficulty: Gentle to Moderate

Weather: Suitable for rain

Rich Mountain Trail

A wide dirt trail uses old carriage roads that were part of the Moses Cone estate to climb by circling gentle grades to the summit of Rich Mountain, with great 180-degree views to the north.

Approx. duration: 1.5 - 2 hours

Transportation: Yes

Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Weather: Suitable for rain

Rough Ridge Boardwalk

A short 1/3-mile hike along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Pisgah National Forest with excellent views of Grandfather Mountain, Linn Cove Viaduct and various mountain ranges in several directions. On really clear days, you can see the Charlotte skyline. The trail includes a wooden boardwalk atop the rocky mountain that protects fragile vegetation from hikers.

Approx. duration: 1-2 hours (the longer end of the spectrum reflects the option to add a trek into Wilson's Ridge)

Transportation: Yes

Level of Difficulty: Strenuous

Weather: Unsuitable for rain

Tanawha #1

This 13.5-mile trail, which parallels the Blue Bridge Parkway and flanks Grandfather Mountain, traverses a fragile and ancient ecosystem, leading hikers through a range of biological and geological terrains. Some sections tunnel through thickets of laurel and rhododendron; others dip down into remote hardwood coves and then ascend into evergreen glens. Boulder fields and cascading streams punctuate the landscape.

Approx. duration: 2 hours (only a portion of the trail will be hiked)

Transportation: Yes

Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Weather: Suitable for rain

Tanawha #2

See above description. Hiking route will vary.

Approx. duration: 1.5 - 2 hours

Transportation: Yes

Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Weather: Suitable for rain

Trout Lake Loop

The shores of lightly traveled Trout Lake Loop are covered in a forest of towering hemlocks. This serene and peacefully-wooded trail is a favorite of locals.

Approx. duration: 1.5 - 2 hours

Transportation: Yes

Level of Difficulty: Gentle

Weather: Suitable for rain

Sim's Pond and Green Knob Trail

This 2.3-mile loop follows Sim's Creek through a section of dense rhododendron shaded by old growth timber. A steady climb through pasture and woods leads to the top of Green Knob, crowned on clear days with a distant view of Price Lake. The last section descends a steep hill with a view of Calloway Peak on the horizon.

Approx. duration: 1 hour

Transportation: Yes

Level of Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous

Weather: Unsuitable for rain