Looking for blooming Mountain Laurel and Rhododendrons? North Carolina Has Them!
 

Beautiful Pilot Mountain State Park is absolutely full of blooming mountain laurel, in pale pinks, and rhododendron in deep pink. The sight is simply marvelous. The Park is on US 52 (which intersects with 40 and 85) just outside of the town of Pilot Mountain, where today the streets are closed for a festival. Come on down, y'all!

Then the mountains and Roan Mountain in particular cannot be far behind.

Roan Mtn is in bloom right now. Going up there this afternoon.

The Roan Mtn Rhododendron Festival is this weekend.

Pictures! :D

http://tinyurl.com/2dtugg

It was really neat. I can't believe I've lived here nearly all my life and have never seen the rhododendron in bloom on Roan Mtn before.

Be sure if you go to this or any mtn destination in the evening to take a jacket or sweatshirt. I forgot to throw one in the car ... temps up there were in the 50's as evening came on. It wasn't frigid, but if we'd stayed longer we'd have gotten a chill.

(Roan Mountain straddles the Tenn/NC border, and the Appalachian Trail runs along the summit ridge. The town of Roan Mtn, Tenn., is on US 19E; the rhododendron gardens are 15 miles straight up from there.)

Oh, Rae, they are gorgeous. What a beautiful place to be!

Rae - Beautiful pictures. My DH & I are going to skip church tomorrow morning & head up to Roan Mtn (our29th anniversary!!!) We'd like to do a hike (2-3 hrs). Any suggestions? Where's the best bang for our buck?

Ooh have a great time!

Be aware that the Rhododendron Festival is this weekend -- There will be a lot of traffic/congestion right at the state park. But that also means there's more to see and do like live music and arts & crafts vendors to browse.

http://www.roanmountain.com/festival.htm

For hikes, I'd park at Carvers Gap and hike north on the Appalachian Trail. The trail ascends the bald right there from the parking area. You can also drive up into Craggy Gardens area ($3 entrance fee) and look around at the flowers. There is a network of trails there at the top.

http://tinyurl.com/2m2cw4

What a difference a week makes.

We took some visiting relatives to Roan Mtn today and there were maybe 10% of the blooms that were there just last Thursday.

So if someone tells you the flowers are peaking, don't wait!

We then did a meandering loop through Newland (lunch at Carolina BBQ & Pig Pickin' Parlor, YUM), Linville, over Grandfather Mtn., to the Blue Ridge Parkway, through Blowing Rock, back to Boone, then to Banner Elk via 105, and back home.

Does anyone have a review of Canyons of the Blue Ridge restaurant in Blowing Rock?