Beacon Heights Overlook

In this post I want to talk about one of the most underrated and easy to access Parkway overlooks near Boone. If you’re going on the parkway from Boone, you can turn south onto the parkway and drive just past the Linn Cove Viaduct to reach Beacon Heights. There is a small parking lot with a few informative signs, along with the trailhead. From there, its only a 0.7 mile hike to a massive rocky bald with a phenomenal view of the Appalachian mountains and a rocky wall with great beginner and advanced climbing. The bald is a large rocky area without vegetation, about 60 yards square. It is a popular spot for families to take their pets out and or for college students to have a beer and enjoy the view. The bald is off to the left and the rock wall off to the right is on the back side of a massive boulder. You can tell where rock climbing routes are in nature from the chalk left on holds by previous climbers. Some harder routes you stumble across at first require great strength and little to grab, but the wall gets easier the farther right you go until you reach a very flat section full of footholds and handholds. I’ve taken many day trips, sunset trips, and night trips up to Beacon Heights to hike, eno, climb, and enjoy the view. The highlights of the trek are the huge bald and view, the rock wall, and the accessibility.