Grandfather Mountain Swinging Bridge One-Night Backpack

Please join me for a one-night backpack trip in Grandfather Mountain State Park. This advanced level hike will take us through pretty forest via trails and ladders and chains and steeply-angled slick rock AND a 20-ft chute. All that effort will win us striking views of the surrounding mountains, Indian House Cave, and the iconic Swinging Bridge.
Saturday, May 3rd
We’ll meet at 9:00am at the Boone Fork Parking Area near mile marker 300 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We’ll briefly take the Tanawha Trail until we intersect the Nuwati Trail for a little over ½ mile. We’ll take a left onto the Cragway Trail for one mile until the junction with the Daniel Boone Scout Trail. We’ll take The D.B.Scout Trail for just under 2 miles until we crest Calloway Peak (Elevation 5,946’). From there we will begin the 2.4 mile unique and technically challenging Grandfather Trail. We’ll hike the entirety of the Grandfather Trail until we reach the Swinging Bridge.
Along the way we’ll pass by our campsite Alpine Meadow (5,725’ elevation). We’ll see if we feel comfortable stashing some gear there to make the remaining 2.5 miles of the Grandfather Trail (1.25 miles to the Swinging Bridge plus 1.25 back) – with its ladders and chutes and chains – more comfortable. Total for the day: 6.75 miles, 4,100’ ascent, 2,200’ descent, maximum elevation 5,918’.

Sunday, may 4th
We’ll break camp at 9:00 am to retrace our steps back to our cars. Total for the day: 4 miles, 500’ ascent, 2,270’ descent.

Experience Level
This is an advanced hike that requires hikers to navigate through several ladders and chains and rock faces. If you sign up and I haven’t hiked with you before, I’ll need to be able to reach you so you can tell me your hiking experience. To let you know I tend to keep an intermediate pace. Sorry, no dogs on this hike.

Water & Bear Canister
There is no water near our camp. We will need to take sufficient water for the entire day’s hike plus empty bottles/ bladders to fill up at Grandfather Mountain to carry water back 1.25 miles to have water at camp and the next day’s hike down to the cars. No fires are permitted. Please bring a bear canister as there are no cables to hang a food bag.

Cost
The total cost of the campsite is $35. Please bring $4.00 cash or Venmo me before the trip.

Trailhead
To reach the trailhead, type in “Boone Fork Parking Area” to Google Maps. Boone Fork Parking Area, 100 Blue Ridge Parkway, Seven Devils, NC 28604

Maps
To print a map of the trails, go to https://www.ncparks.gov/state-parks/grandfather-mountain-state-park You can find a .gpx track of the hike here Grandfather Boone Fork Parking to Bridge.
Please come along for the fun!