Rough Ridge Lookout - Grandfather Mountain, NC.

Loved every minute of it. The lookout has a trail to a viewing area and is well worth the trek up. Moderate climb. It was very windy when we went and we had light snow as well but the colors were gorgeous. We could have gone more but it felt very windy so we turned around at the viewing area. Beautiful spot to take pictures and just enjoy nature

This is one of the must-do hikes along the BRP just for the views it offers. It is short (less than 0.6 miles to the summit) but moderate difficulty. You could complete it in less than an hour depending on how fast you’re doing it. The parking lot can get full really fast - I went around 8:30 am on a Friday morning, and it was almost full. The hike mostly involves making your way through rocky and wooden steps and stairs, and it offers three overlooks - the first one is along wooden stairs and offers great photo opportunity, the second one is the most iconic, and the third one was disappointing imo. From the lot you can actually see the creek and the wooden bridge. Starting the hike, you’re treated with the Tanawha Trail sign. Follow left at the marker that says MST (towards Linn Cove). You will be greeted by a wooden bridge soon. From here the first overlook will appear in less than 10 mins (about 0.3 miles from the parking lot). The views from here are absolutely stunning. I did it during peak-fall and the colors took my breath away. You can see the Linn cove viaduct and Grandfather Mtn. from here. The second overlook is iconic - the one you always see in pictures. Be a little careful here but views are again amazing! The summit overlook needs you to hike further up but doesn’t offer anything extra except getting you closer to Grandfather Mtn., and I felt it was a waste of time.

One of the most beautiful spots to see fall color on the BRP! This trail was not too strenuous with huge payout —great views of the mountains, Linn Cove Viaduct, and cool rock outlooks. We did part of the trail and then turned around. Although the parkway and parking was crowded, the trail itself was not as bad as I thought. There are no restrooms or portapotties here.

Beautiful day and gorgeous trail! We went up the Tanawha Trail. Has a pretty cool view of the parkway on the way up. I use AllTrails and it was pretty helpful keeping track of the trail. If you use the trail I did, keep an eye on the markers with a single white dot and feather. About 5 miles and 1000 ft elevation gain, not very strenuous.