Ok, so it wasn't that bad, but that is pretty much what I was expecting. On our way home from our camping trip we decided to stop in and see what this place was all about. I mean, so many people have mentioned it, and we were in the area, it seemed like we aught to go ahead and see what was there.
Grandfather Mountain is right off of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Linville, NC. Believe it or not, until 2008 it was a privately owned mountain. That year the State was finally able to purchase 2,600 acres and now that portion of the mountain is Grandfather Mountain State Park. If you choose to enter from the park side (the "back country area") you can hike it for free. The "attractions" portion doesn't conform to the State Park mission statement, so it is now a non-profit operation. All I can say is, it must take a lot of money to feed the animals and maintain the bridge... or maybe it's the audio disks they give every visitor.
When you enter you get an audio disk to play as you drive up the mountain. It wasn't too bad, and it does have a lot of good information about the history and geology of the area.
We stopped at the picnic area near the base for lunch, which was very nice. It had trash cans, grills, picnic tables and some great climbing rocks.
As you wind farther up, you pass some really big boulders, one of which is called Split Rock. It's a great example of a metamorphic conglomerate and they have a good geology lesson here.
A little farther on is the Nature Museum and the animal exhibits.
The zoo area has some native animals to view. The bears used to be fed by visitors and so are permanent residents now. They were clearly begging, but very cute I must say.
There were some otters and a few other animals. I wouldn't call it a full zoo.
All along the way are some spectacular views and hiking trails for those who care to actually get out of their cars. A summary of the trails can be found here.
We parked in the Trails Parking Area and took the Bridge Trail to the top. It's only a .4 mile trail and it switchbacks through a very pretty rocky mixed hardwood forest to the top. It's a good climb, and you should be aware that most everything on the mountain, even the Nature Center is pretty vertical. It would be hard for handicapped persons, but they could certainly ride to the top, listen to the audio and take in the view.
As we climbed, we could hear a thunderstorm rolling in. As the rumbling got closer we made it to the upper parking lot and the "Mile High Swinging Bridge". You should know that it's "a mile high" from sea level, not the ground below. It's also good to know that there is a lightning rod on it, but I still thought it was probably a bad idea to be walking across a metal bridge to a granite rocky outcrop in a thunderstorm. We managed to explore it and hike back down to the car before the rain hit.
Spectacular views, nice trails, very neat bridge. Worth the entrance fee? I'll let you decide.
If you want to know more about the history of Grandfather Mountain, you can find it all in this book: Grandfather Mountain: A Profile.
Sounds like a nice diversion, but clearly based on original private tourist beginnings. Not something a park service would do, but is trying to deal with as a conversion. Cool boulders/rock formations and scenery tho, and that alone would be worth the trip. Mom
ReplyDeleteJust for a bit more information. The Grandfather Mountain attraction that you visited is run by a not-for-profit called the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation. The admission ticket price goes toward the mission of that organization which in a nutshell is to preserve the Mountain, operate the nature park sustainably in the public interest, and participant in education and research activities.
ReplyDeleteIt actually does cost a good deal of money to feed and care for the animals, pay the staff, have electricity, maintain the trails, participate in research (the Mountain has over 73 rare and endangered plants and animals), maintain the park so it is safe for all, and give visitors the upmost experience. The audio cd given at the Entrance Gate is complimentary.
One other note...the bears that are at Grandfather were deemed not able to survive in the wild before they came to Grandfather, not because they came to Grandfather. Many of the animals (not just the bears) were rescued from unfortunate sitations across the country that deemed them not able to survive in the wild and were brought to Grandfather Mountain to live out the rest of their lives.
Perhaps this can provide a bit different perspective for the folks visiting your blog.
I guess my post was a bit flip (so says my husband) and I apologize for that. It's good to know that the money goes to preservation and I'm all for research, having done a bit of it myself. The mountains all around are full of rare and endangered species, so I do know how precious that is. In fact, it's that love of those mountains that makes me cringe at the theme-park feeling we got. We saw dispensers for food to feed the animals, which I just feel is not healthy for the bears and gives people the wrong impression of how to deal with wildlife. I was glad to see they were no longer in use, but those bears were clearly begging. It would have been nice to know the stories about where the bears came from, and if there is research, something about that as well. I would have left with a much better impression of the whole thing. Maybe I should write the folks there and suggest they put up a storyboard! Anyway, thank you for your comments and information! I really do appreciate your input.
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