2022 Fall Mountains Trip

Our annual fall trip to the mountains this year was probably the best one we’ve had yet. This is mostly because the kids are getting bigger and we’re able to go to cooler hiking locations than in previous years. We didn’t have to backpack one of them or worry they would likely fall to their demise. We also had a better planned schedule this year than on previous trips.

Like in previous years, we went to the Boone/Blowing Rock area, which we really love. We honestly intend to try different places each year — the goal is to find a retirement location for when the kids move out in 15 years — but we suck at this and just keep going to the same general area. This time we were in Seven Devils and rented one of three or four houses that are actually on the summit of Seven Devils Mountain. The view from here, which is more or less 360° around the house, would have been amazing during peak leaf colors, but we missed that by a week or two. It’s hard to get mad since this week has put us right in the middle of peak for the past four years, and the views were still pretty incredible, but still…

Here are some recaps:

Saturday (arrival)

We arrived right at sunset, so we weren’t able to see a lot once we got up to the top of the mountain. We could see the sun setting off in the distance (between Grandfather Mountain and Sugar Mountain Ski Resort) and we could see the lights of businesses between us and these mountains, but we couldn’t really tell how great the view really was yet. We cooked and spent the evening relaxing after the four hour drive over to the mountains.

Sunday

After having breakfast, we explored around the house a bit. There were a couple levels of decks behind it with incredible views over Seven Devils Mountain. There was also a swing that was made from an old ski lift that the kids really enjoyed sitting in. It is a pretty cool idea for retiring ski lift chairs.

Otter Falls

We went to Otter Falls, which is in Seven Devils. We went a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it, but Emily was too little to do much hiking and we didn’t make it all the way to the waterfalls. This year we did, and it was well worth it. We spent about 30 minutes at the Falls and it looked like you can hike along Valley Creek for quite some distance. We knew the kids would start to wear down, so we headed back up. Our kids do well with this as the trail is not at all technical (other than for the occasional rock on the path to trip on, which of course our daughter did) and there are several benches to stop and rest on as you make your way down or back up.

Beacon Heights

This is another great hike we have done in previous years. This location always gives Jen the dizzies. I took the kids a ways down the shelf this time so they could look out farther, which she didn’t really care for, but they enjoyed it. This is a great hike with family because it’s very close to the parking area on the Blue Ridge Parkway, so you can get out of the car and stroll about ten minutes to see a wonderful sunset.

Pedalin’ Pig

We ate here on our 2020 trip. It wasn’t actually that great in terms of service. I think they just got slammed as we arrived; we waited about an hour for food, then had to drive nearly 20 minutes back with it, so it was pretty miserable by the time we ate. That isn’t really their fault, I suppose. This year I had ribs with a side of brisket. It was amazing. We will be back. I’m the only one in the family that really gets excited about smokehouse food, so we don’t go often.

We came back to the house and roasted marshmallows, which became a nightly tradition during this trip.

Monday

Moses Cone Park is another one of our go-to locations on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We have been here a couple of times and it’s a beautiful view over Bass Lake below, which we’ve also visited more than once. We love to explore the old house, Flattop Manor, and then make our way back into the fields of the property. As you come out of woods, there are fields and fields of expansive carriage trails to walk along.

We found a great place to stop and eat lunch between the woods and the fields. This is in one of the open fields after you come out of the woods. There were some old farm equipment pieces around the area for the kids to explore after we ate and they had a really great time running around.

At the rear of the property is Rich Mountain, which is quite a hike up. We didn’t go all the way up this year, but we walked back to where the climbing road began and then the kids ran down it. It looked like you had a pretty good view of the property at the top, so maybe we’ll try to make it up there next time.

Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster

Jen always picks the coolest things to do. This year, we went to an Alpine Coaster in Boone. The kids had absolutely no fun at all, as you can tell.

Situated on six acres, the track’s length of 3,160 feet includes three circular loops (you do not go upside down), a series of waves and several twists and turns for plenty of excitement. Each ride begins with a cable-pulled ascent of 770 feet to the top. At that point, the alpine coaster differs from a roller coaster because the remainder of the ride is gravity-fed with the rider grasping two handles that serve as brakes. Riders can use as little or as much braking as they like.

The top speed is 27 miles per hour, and the average ride takes about five minutes. We went twice — with virtually no brakes applied on the second run. It was fantastic.

They also have a rope course, but we didn’t try it. Maybe next time.

Tuesday

Grandfather Mountain

We have seen Grandfather Mountain from our vacation properties several years — it’s hard to miss — and this is the first year we visited the park. There’s a lot to do there, including an animal park (we spent about two hours and saw much of it) and a mile-high swinging bridge. We also hiked out to Black Rock Trail which has some amazing overlooks.

Wednesday

We got up and couldn’t see a thing. We always plan for a “kids day” in which we take the kids to indoor and outdoor activities that are geared toward their age. When we’re in Blowing Rock, we go to the community park downtown (love that place!) and there’s a park just as good up in Valle Crucis. In Boone, we went to a park called The Tot Lot, which has a playground surrounded by a little track, and there are much of donated riding toys (bikes, scooters, etc.) for the kids to ride. It’s really nice.

Thursday

On Thursday, we went to Apple Hill Alpaca Farm, which is a mountain-top farm in Banner Elk, North Carolina. They are home to alpacas, llamas, angora goats, livestock guardians, and more. Every animal has a name, a job, and a purpose.

The drive up to the farm starts in Valle Crucis and winds up a mountain road into Banner Elk. Visiting Apple Hill is worth it just for this drive in the fall, but also go to the farm!

After we left Apple Hill, we stopped next to the Valle Crucis Mission and had a picnic next to the creek.

Then drove a block or so to the Mission and parked so we could hike up to Crab Orchard Falls. This a very easy hike from a technical perspective, but the almost the entire hike there is uphill and some of the paths are steep. It’s beautiful once you get to the falls and the walk back is much easier.

As has become a bit of a tradition, we stopped at Valle Crucis Community Park on the way back, and then walked around the Mast General Store to buy candy and talk myself out of buying outdoor supplies I don’t actually need. Outfitters are a terrible place for me to go — I want everything.

Friday

On Friday, we hiked out to Linville Falls and spent some time walking around. We also went into Linville Caverns for a tour. This is our first time in this cavern (we really liked Luray Caverns in Virginia as well) and it did not disappoint.

We left Linville and headed over to Flat Rock Nature Trail and then back to Seven Devils where they had a community Trunk-or-Treat. We secretly packed the kids’ Halloween costumes and they were ecstatic to find out the trunk-or-treat that they had seen signs for all week was actually on the agenda. The village was so generous to put this on and we had a wonderful time.

Saturday (departure)

We really hated leaving this house — it’s one of the better houses we’ve stayed in.