Craggy Pinnacle Best Hike

• Difficulty: Moderate
• Total Length: 1.4 mi
• Trail Tread Condition: Some Obstacles
• Climb: Climbs Moderately
• Lowest Elevation: 5660 ft
• Highest Elevation: 5892 ft
• Total Elevation Gain: 250 ft
• Trails/Roads Used: Craggy Pinnacle
• Hike Configuration: Out-and-back
• Starting point: Craggy Dome Overlook at Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 364
• How to Get There: From Asheville, follow the Blue Ridge Parkway North 18 miles past the Folk Art Center. Pass the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area and Visitor Center; go under the Craggy Pinnacle tunnel. Turn left into the Craggy Dome overlook just past the tunnel. Park in the upper parking lot.
  Directions on Google Maps

Note: this hike is currently closed. The Blue Ridge Parkway is currently closed due to a landslide in this area and this hike is likely to be inaccessible until the summer of 2009.

This short, moderately steep trial takes you to one of the most spectacular, 360 degree views on the Blue Ridge Parkway! Traveling through a stunted high-elevation forest of mostly birch trees, you can explore the next-highest Southern Appalachian forest community and a unique environment as well: a high-elevation heath bald. During the early summer enjoy the beautiful purple blooms of the Catawba rhododendron which cover this "bald", and during the late summer enjoy a bounty of natural blueberries! The trail climbs moderately, but is very short, and there are plenty of recommended resting points along the way, making the hike easy overall.

Starting from the parking lot at an elevation of 5640', you'll climb a short set of steps to a a pleasant grassy area, with a couple of sign boards explaining the phenomenon of the Heath bald. A nice view of the North Fork reservoir is to your left, and behind the board some very nice, large Rhododendrons grow. In a heath bald, shrubs such as rhododendron, mountain laurel, and blueberry cover the hillside instead of the trees which are more normal mountainside inhabitants. Most of the trail travels through one; however, you'll also pass through a high-elevation forest of mostly birches and some maples as well. As the trail sign indicates, you start the hike to the right of the sign board.

Rhododendrons arch over the trail at first, and then give way to trees. The trail is well-worn and easy to follow, but a few sections are rocky and have log water turnouts. The trees are extremely stunted, attesting to the high winds and violent weather that occurs at this high elevation. You'll pass three interesting points along this section of the trail. The first is a short, gnarled birch tree on the left. This tree is probably very old, but never reached a large size due to the mountains' exposure. The trail gets a bit steeper here, and you will want to stop at the next interesting spot.

This is another birch tree - this time on your right. This tree lies parallel to the ground and probably fell many years ago during strong winds. It still lives and is quite big around, though! Its branches reach straight up into the wind to form a canopy scarcely 20'30' above the ground. Its level trunk and twisted roots, arching up from the rocky ground, makes a favorite spot for kids to play while parents rest. And on the left, next to this tree, is a crystal-clear, trickling spring now partly enclosed by a concrete box. This is actually the headwaters for Waterfall Creek, a tributary of which plunges over the beautiful Douglas Falls somewhat lower on the mountain.

Shortly after the spring, the rhododendrons return in force and the trail makes a switchback around a large boulder. There's a small cave under the rock, and a great view above. A sign hear pleads with you to stay on the trail, as you are entering a sensitive habitat with fragile, endangered species. You'll continue climbing through a rhododendron/mountain laurel/blueberry bald where some short side trails lead to great berry patches. You'll reach the summit of the ridge where a nice resting bench has been placed, and behind it is a nice, grassy meadow, and behind that blueberry thickets and plenty of secret spots! Just past this bench is a split in the trail; go left for the summit overlook and right to the lower overlook. As the sign board at the split implores you - please - stay within the overlooks!

At the summit overlook (just a few feet from the split), you have a spectacular 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains. A sign board explains a little bit about the summit and the surrounding area. To your north, back toward the parking lot, is Craggy Dome and the Black Mountains including Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi. To your west (left) is the Dillingham valley and mountains in nearby Madison County, including the State Line Ridge. To the south, you can see the Craggy Gardens visitor center, the trail shelter on Craggy Flats, and the parkway snaking around Lane Pinnacle towards Asheville. You can see Asheville's outskirts on a clear day - namely the Asheville Mall and Tunnel Road businesses - but downtown is hidden behind the ridges. Beyond Asheville lies Mount Pisgah and the Pisgah range. To the southwest you may be able to make out the Great Smoky Mountains on a very clear day. And finally, to the east, is the North Fork reservoir - Asheville's water source - and Graybeard Mountain. The view is truly spectacular!

You may wish to descend to the lower overlook. The rocky, pointed knob of this peak harbors some of the most sensitive plant habitats in the area. Look back up toward the upper overlook and to the surrounding boulders, and you may see tufts of grass growing in the cracks, looking like a big, wavy blonde wig in the wind. This is an example of the vegetation that is being protected behind the signs - a relic of the alpine tundra environment that existed in the southern Appalachians during the last Ice Age! As the earth warmed and the cold-loving plants retreated north, they also retreated up - and take refuge on the highest peaks such as this one. As they become isolated by the valleys, the plants evolve into new species that grow nowhere else on earth!

You may see some of these sedges growing on the large boulder in the foreground as you look back down toward the visitor center. A trail used to climb straight up from the visitor center, but it has been closed to protect the sensitive environment. Return to your car via the same trail.