Vinton, Virginia, United States
time : Jul 5, 2015 11:48 AM
duration : 0h 45m 56s
distance : 0.9 mi
total_ascent : 381 ft
highest_point : 5801 ft
avg_speed : 1.1 mi/h
user_id : OhioHick
user_firstname : Allen
user_lastname : Arrington
Here’s part two of our short trails, the hike to Craggy Peak, as we are leaving the Craggy Garden Visitor Center.
The drive to the trailhead parking is short, just up the hill, through the tunnel and around the bend. The trail to Craggy Peak is also basically wooded, but it is a bit more uphill and a lot more interesting. The first part runs through stands of rhododendron. Unfortunately the flowers were well past their prime but I bet this would have been simply gorgeous when the shrubs were in bloom. The next section of the trail went through birch trees but was interesting for the twisted nature of the exposed roots of the trees. This little display only lasts for about 100 yards or so, but with the right I bet there are some interesting images to be had. The crowds on the trails were light, but there were more folks out on the Craggy Peak trail. Maybe it is the more interesting or just later in the day. But still it was not packed. But this was apparently dog walking day on the way to Craggy Peak as we passed several canines out with their humans. At first it was all little dogs, but we finally saw some big mutts on our return hike.
The view from the summit was very pretty, but the clouds had rolled back in so the vista was not great on the day we visited. And it was very windy on the exposed viewing area. Still the vista was worth the effort in getting there. We stayed long enough to take in the view and grab a few photos, and then headed back down. We opted to not take the side trail to the lower viewing area and just hiked back to the trailhead. The two little hikes total just under 2 miles total and each took less than an hour to complete and we were really taking our time. After descending from Craggy Peak, we loaded up and retraced our route back to Asheville. We were back at the house about 2:15 so less than a four hours total for this delightful little excursion.