Grandfather Mountain: a North Carolina Must Visit

Grandfather Mountain is located in the Beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and has the great distinction of being the only private park in the world designated by the United Nations as an International Biosphere Reserve.

Grandfather Mountain also boasts a Mile High Swinging Bridge, which was built in order to give visitors easy access to the breath-taking views, which can be seen from beautiful Linville Peak. This majestic suspension bridge spans an 80-foot chasm, is over 228-feet long and more than one mile high. People who were interviewed after the trip across said that it was the highlight of a their trip to Grandfather Mountain.

Charles Hartman Jr. of Greensboro, NC was the designer of the mile high swinging bridge in Grandfather Mountain and it was actually fabricated in Greensboro and then reassembled on top of the Mountain. When the bridge was erected it took a total of three weeks and the process was slowed on several occasions due to inclement weather created by a hurricane off the North Carolina coast. The total cost for the bridge was $15,000 and North Carolina Gov. William B. Umstead dedicated it on Sept. 2, 1952.

The Bridge is not for the faint of heart because in order to reach the level of the Swinging Bridge, you are required to climb a flight of 50 stairs. Those who prefer not to climb the stairs can enjoy similar views from the parking area.

Grandfather Mountain has 11 walking and hiking trails, which vary in difficulty from a gentle walk in the woods to a rigorous trek across rugged peaks. If you are interested in a more challenging hike, consider the backcountry because it is there that you will come up against some of the more challenging hikes.

Grandfather Mountain boasts a number of gentle paths that can be accessed from the summit road which are designed to offer a low-impact foray into nature which allow its many visitors to get out in the woods without long and strenuous commitment.

The backcountry in Grandfather Mountain is very different from the other backcountry noticed in other areas in the South because the trails take you through forests, which would normally be found in Canadian climates instead.

Other things to consider before visiting Grand Father Mountain.

When you pay your admission fee, hiking is automatically included as part of your attraction admission. In order to access many of the trails you will have to climb ladders or cables in order to get over the sheer cliff faces.

Grandfather Mountain has over 16 distinct natural communities or ecosystems and is also home to over 70 rare or endangered species, including 29 that are globally endangered. Some parts the of the backcountry are located within a Nature Conservancy trust and Grandfather Mountain is a proud member of the United Nation's international network of Biosphere Reserves.