Blue Ridge
Hiking near Boone
Hiking near Boone, North Carolina: public trails and parks, plus the checks still open.
Last updated October 15, 2026.
Boone is a base, not a summit. The in-town outing is the greenway, flat enough for a conversation. The hikes people drive here for start at Parkway trailheads and at Grandfather Mountain State Park.
Boone Greenway
A paved or gravel in-town path, mostly flat, for a walk or an easy bike when the weather is messy or the group is small. The town asks that dogs stay leashed.
Moses H. Cone Memorial Park
The National Park Service counts about 25 miles of carriage trails, plus Flat Top Manor, on the Blue Ridge Parkway toward Blowing Rock. The grade suits a long walk more than a scramble. The Parkway does not charge an entrance fee. The manor has long housed a craft center, and its hours are seasonal. On a fair day you can hear the wind in the trees before you hear a car.
Price Lake
The National Park Service calls the shoreline walk an easy 2.7-mile loop around 47-acre Price Lake, near Blowing Rock. Flat, pretty, and popular enough that 'easy' does not mean 'empty' in October. Swimming is not allowed.
Rough Ridge and Beacon Heights
Two Parkway trailheads with views toward Grandfather Mountain. Rough Ridge uses a boardwalk and exposed rock. Skip it in ice, high wind, or a thunderstorm. The lot fills on fair October weekends. Arrive early or admire the view from the overflow of cars.
Linville Falls
Waterfall overlooks on the Parkway, with short and longer walks. A day trip from Boone, and worth it when you want the sound of water instead of King Street.
Grandfather Mountain State Park
Public state-park trails. The park is free to enter. The Profile Trail is 3.6 miles one way and strenuous. Calloway Peak is 5,964 feet. The swinging bridge is not in the state park. It lives inside the separate Grandfather Mountain attraction, which charges admission and posts the current fee.