Sunset Hike at Flat Rock

The Blue Ridge Chapter will be getting back to regular meetings this year after our COVID-hiatus. For summer 2021, we plan on starting off with outdoors gatherings for our monthly meetings as weather permits. We’ll kick off the season with a sunset hike to Flat Rock on the Blue Ridge Parkway on Wed., May 12, at 6 PM.

This trail offers a chance to observe a plethora of spring ephemerals and early summer flowers. We can expect to see various botanical treasures in bloom, including dwarf iris, lily-of-the-valley, blue bead lilies, ladyslippers, rock harlequin, galax and more. Flat Rock also offers a superb location to watch the sunset, so bring a jacket/blanket if you plan on staying on top of the ridge and a flashlight for the walk through the woods back to the parking lot after sunset.

About the trail:

The Flat Rock Trail is a self-guided nature trail within the Blue Ridge Parkway system in Avery County, North Carolina. It is an easy to moderate loop trail about 0.6 miles long and starts at 3,983 feet altitude at the Parking Area with a total elevation gain of 280 feet to the viewpoints on top of Flat Rock (elevation 4,094 feet). You can find a nice description and pictures of the trail here.

Meeting time:

We will gather in the Flat Rock parking area on the Blue Ridge Parkway between 5:30 – 6 PM for our wildflower walk. Sunset time for Linville is 8:24 PM.

Directions:

– Take the Blue Ridge Parkway south from Boone, Blowing Rock, or Linville
– The Flat Rock Parking Area (~milepost 308.3) will be on the right about 3 miles from the turnoff for Grandfather Mountain or 1/2 mile from Roseboro Road
– If you get to Linville Falls, you have missed it and gone too far

Current NC COVID safety protocol:

Face coverings are recommended in public outdoor settings for people who have not been fully vaccinated if individuals are unable to maintain six feet of social distance with non-household members.