As one of North Carolina's newer state parks, Elk Knob proved to be a great place for a moderate to hard afternoon hike. There is ample parking and the various destinations are well marked. The park offers three primitive sites that will accommodate up to two tents and six people, two group sites and zone camping.
Elk Knob State Park is one of the newer parks in the NC system and one of relatively few areas of public lands in the northwestern corner of the state. My first visit, several years ago, there was just a single trail that led to the summit. Since then, they've built several more trails, picnic areas, and primitive campsites. The Summit Trail is definitely the highlight of the park - a beautiful trail just under 2 miles to the summit. Although it gains about 1000 vertical feet, there are plenty of switchbacks to keep the steepness reasonable. At the summit, there are two overlooks - South View and North View. From the south view, you can see Grandfather Mountain, Roan Mountain and into Tennessee. From the North View you can see Mount Rogers in Virginia. My last visit was very foggy so the views weren't very good, but the park was still really beautiful. The fog over the trails gave it an ethereal feel.
In addition to the camping sites, the park offers 11 picnic sites and four trails including the 1.9 mile Summit Trail, 2.0 mile Backcountry Trail, 1.0 mile Beech Tree Trail and 0.5 mile Maple Run Trail.
I highly recommend this trail for an individual or small group looking for something to do on a clear day!
Really enjoyed the Elk Knob Summit Trail! It was a fun and well-maintained trail and the view at the top was great!
I took an afternoon and hiked the Summit Trail and I was amazed at the vistas at the top. The trail is well maintained and graded easily with gravel. It is nicely shaded with various plant species. The summit is worth the work as two outlooks give you panoramic views of the Blue Ridge, Appalachian and Smokey Mountains. Benches and sitting spots make it a great place to spend some time taking in the beauty or our great state.
Worth the up hill hike to fantastic views. Well maintained paths.
It's a nice park and easy to get to from Boone. Great if you don't want to head towards the parkway. I've hiked here twice and the photos are from once in the rain in mid-august and once in mid-October. The main trail is mostly a slow incline with tons of switch-backs in places. The trail has lots of rocks and gravel for the first portion of the trail. One lookout along the way up. My pom didn't enjoy the hike, but I'm sure a larger dog would. I had no problem with the trail and comfortably hiked it without stopping.
Elk Knob State Park is a US Park based in Todd, North Carolina. Elk Knob State Park is located at 5564 Meat Camp Rd, Todd, NC 28684, USA.
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