“Tanawha” means fabulous hawk in the Cherokee language. That’s what they used to call Grandfather Mountain. Then the pioneers came in and must have seen the grandfather in profile. Big nose. Prominent chin. Long beard. Lying on his back all across the ridge line above 5,900 ft. The name stuck. But the Tanawha Trail brought back the old name when it was completed back in 1993 as a sort of celebration of the mountain. Photography by JC Garcia
The 13-mile Tanawha Trail was intentionally woven through the landscape at the base of the mountain on a route that roughly traces the contours of the 5,964-ft peak that towers over it.
It’s worth your time to experience a trek along the Tanawha Trail. You can hike it all at once for a spectacular trek, and with easy access from the Blue Ridge Parkway you can venture onto it in sections.
It stretches from Beacon Heights to Price Lake, carrying hikers through some of the most rewarding places in western North Carolina. A diversity of ecosystems through an ancient landscape all flourishing in the slopes of the mountain. It also forms part of Section 5 of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
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Hiking the Whole Tanawha Trail
The majority of the Tanawha Trail’s 13 miles are easy to moderate, and some sections are even kid- and family-friendly. Most people hike the trail in sections or parts of sections–the most popular of which are Rough Ridge and portions off of Holloway Mountain Road.
To do a proper “thru hike” of the Tanawha requires some time and logistics unless you’re in for a marathon-length experience of the point to point trail.
The alarm goes off at 5 a.m. because you wanted to start hiking by 6:30 at the trailhead near Beacon Heights. You and your wife and no one else. When you moved up here she said “I want to hike the Tanawha Trail.” The whole thing. She’d seen the signs with those telltale feathers, presumably the feathers of a terrible hawk. And that’s how the alarm sounded that early on an already-drizzly Saturday morning in the fall.
By 5:30 you’re on the Blue Ridge Parkway and the clouds are parting ever so slightly to reveal stars visible through the sunroof of the Forester. Yes. The Forester. RIP. By 6 a.m. you’re on the trail and straining upwards toward Linn Cove and Rough Ridge. Rough Ridge was where you had dreamed you might be by sunrise–looking out toward Grandfather Mountain from Ship Rock.
If you do plan to hike the full length of the Tanawha, try to hit the Rough Ridge area in the early morning (starting at Beacon Heights, for instance) or in the evening (if you started at Price Lake) so you can get the best light to experience this spectacular vista–with views of Grandfather Mountain and the surrounding forests and peaks. But leave yourself enough daylight to get down safely.
A Tanawha Trail, Grandfather Mountain Expedition
Sometimes you’re just really looking for an all-day adventure that’ll leave your legs quivering and your family wondering what in the world happened to you. (Though hopefully as a wise and safe hiker you clearly spelled out your plans for them beforehand.) Tanawha Trail to Daniel Boone Scout Trail ascends 2,000 feet over three miles (that’s steep) to Grandfather Mountain’s Calloway Peak, the highest point in the Blue Ridge Mountain Range. Then descend the same way you came up and continue on your merry weary way to Price Lake and hopefully a good stout at Six Pence Pub.
Tanawha Trail Guides
Here’s some further reading and information about the Tanawha Trail as you plan your adventure:
