Description:

We have lived in Asheville a long time and this special place, 24 miles northeast of our city, is an absolute favorite. Folks choose Craggy Gardens for a day hike for good reason. The views are astounding providing an opportunity for photographs of a lifetime. The Asheville Watershed is beautifully visible from the Visitors Center parking lot. For Rock Hounds-Craggy is an outcropping paradise. A National Heritage designation for the state  of North Carolina, Craggy Gardens provides seasonal interest.

In Spring, wildflowers proliferate all over this area giving way to a breathtaking colorama of types and hues. After a very long winter, bring your jacket and celebrate Spring with a picnic here.

Rhododendron viewing takes on a new meaning in mid to later June (always call if this is the purpose of your trip. Temperature is everything when it comes to blooming things and if the warmer weather is delayed, so are the blooms.) In season, the display of rhododendrons in every shade of purple and pink you can contemplate are simply stunning.

In the fall, birders flock to Craggy Gardens. Bright, red, berries provide easy nourishment for our avian friends anxious to stock up before winter hardens in. For birders, the variety, color, and profusion of our feathered friends provides awesome opportunities for observing. This unique environment is home to many species of rare and endangered plants protected largely by the rock outcroppings found in this area. For this reason, all hikers to this area are asked to restrict their enjoyment of Craggy to the paths only. To do otherwise will ensure this area does not remain as special as it is.

Winter brings interest of another kind. Owing to the higher elevation, harsh conditions in the area, high winds and a short and challenging growing season all these factors likely act in concert to dwarf and stunt the trees creating a nearly gothic effect. Species of lichen can be spotted growing on the base of most of them. In the winter they are both stark and beautiful as ice encases them creating a shimmering, shiny contrast to the now bleak surrounds of winter.

Hope to meet you on the trail.