An invigorating winter getaway awaits in the mile-high elevations surrounding Banner Elk. This town in the North Carolina mountains offers the chance to get outdoors with hiking and exploring at Grandfather Mountain, as well as snowtubing at nearby ski resorts.
One of the biggest winter attractions in the area is Grandfather Mountain — known for its distinctive profile and Mile High Swinging Bridge. The mountain, a popular attraction since the 1950s, is open daily in winter, weather permitting.
Grandfather’s 12 miles of trails include easy and advanced routes. For a low-impact adventure, talk a walk across the Mile High Swinging Bridge or embark on an easy hike through forests and meadows. Those wishing to take it up a notch can do so on backcountry trails featuring challenging and rocky terrain. Winter hikes afford long-range views not visible when leaves are on the trees.
“Hiking in the winter can be pretty magical on the mountain,” says Sarah Lowery with Grandfather Mountain. “This time of year brings many clear days with deep-blue skies that allow you to see for miles. It’s a quieter season that offers those special moments where you feel like you have more of the park – and the trail – to yourself.”
At 5,946 feet in elevation, Grandfather Mountain experiences beautiful snowfalls. And when there’s no snow, rime ice often forms on spruce fir trees, giving the appearance of a fresh dusting of the white stuff.
Snow brings out the animals’ personalities in Grandfather’s wildlife habitat. Cougars Logan and Trinity frolic in the fluffy flakes. Resident elk, Merle and Watson, look particularly regal against a backdrop of snow, and the mountain’s three otters steal the show.
For birders, there are 40-50 bird species that call Grandfather home year-round and can be spotted during winter. The mountain’s unique ecology and high-elevation forests allow guests to witness species of birds not found elsewhere in the Southeast. The best place for bird watching in winter is by the feeders on the deck of the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery. This can be done outdoors or by heading inside to watch from the warmth of Mildred’s Grill.
On particularly cold and blustery days, the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery brings the outdoor world inside and is the perfect place to warm up. Nearly double the size of the original museum, the center offers 10,000 square feet of education space, including state-of-the-art museum exhibits, three classrooms and an ADA-accessible theater.
Featured exhibits include a 3D interactive map of the mountain, flora and fauna walls with field-guide touch screens, a fun (for all ages) hands-on demonstration of wind speeds and other exhibits focusing on the mountain’s natural history and geology.
After your Grandfather Mountain visit, if you want to enjoy winter sliding just like the otters, try snow tubing. Sugar Mountain and Beech Mountain resorts offer multiple tubing runs with advanced snowmaking and grooming to keep the chutes slick. Twenty-five minutes away, Hawksnest Snow Tubing has more than 30 runs and a zipline experience above the tubing runs. Click here to read all about snow tubing in Banner Elk.
When the sun goes down, enjoy Banner Elk’s top-notch culinary scene at one of more than a dozen independent restaurants. Standouts include authentic Italian dishes made from family recipes, a classic steakhouse with a famous salad bar and a cozy lodge with some of the best trout in the mountains.
Banner Elk offers lodging packages that include tickets to Grandfather Mountain. For a complete list of Banner Elk lodging choices, click here.