The High Country Guide
Your neighbor's guide to the North Carolina mountains
Free trails, cool summer air, ski slopes, waterfalls, and honest local food across Avery and Watauga counties, from Beech Mountain to Boone. Written by Justin, who owns a cabin up here and knows where the good spots are.
Beech Mountain to Boone · Avery & Watauga Counties
From the Editor
No. 00
Small enough to know, big enough to explore
The High Country is the part of North Carolina where the Blue Ridge stacks up into real mountains: Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain, Grandfather, and the long green ridgelines between Boone and Banner Elk. It is a small region, two counties at its heart, and the best of it does not cost a thing.
This guide collects the free trails, the dog-friendly overlooks, the no-fee events, and the honest places to eat, so you can spend your mountain time outside instead of researching. When you want a place to land, the Heart of Beech Retreat is our own cabin on Beech Mountain, and we would love to host you.
Meet Justin, your editorIn This Issue
Where to start this weekend
Three guides to plan around: the full area rundown, the free and dog-friendly list, and the seasonal calendar.
No. 01
Things to Do
Ski Beech and Sugar, ride the Emerald Outback, hike Linville Gorge, and catch a concert on the slope.
Read the guide
No. 02
Free & Dog-Friendly
Trails, waterfalls, overlooks, lakes, and town parks that cost nothing and welcome your dog.
Read the guide
No. 03
Seasons
Ski season, cool summer air, peak foliage, and the quiet green spring. When to come and what to pack.
Read the guide
The Featured Stay
No. 04
Heart of Beech Retreat
A simple, cozy mountain cabin on Beech Mountain's quiet residential slopes, close to the ski slopes, the Emerald Outback trails, and the cool summer air at 5,000 feet. Minutes from Banner Elk and an easy drive from Boone.
609 Beech Mountain Parkway · Beech Mountain, NC 28604
The Highlighted Guide
Free, dog-friendly things to do in the High Country
Hiking trails, parks, overlooks, lakes, waterfalls, town greenways, and no-fee events across Avery and Watauga counties. The whole list, organized so you can find the next adventure in two minutes.
Open the free guide
Seasonal Guides
Four seasons, one mountain range
No. 01
Winter
The ski season at Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain, plus tubing, snowshoeing, and cozy cabin nights.
No. 02
Summer
Temperatures that rarely top the upper 70s, concerts at 5,506 feet, and miles of singletrack.
No. 03
Fall
Peak color in mid-October, the Woolly Worm Festival, and parkway drives through the gold.
No. 04
Spring
Wildflowers, full waterfalls, and the quiet weeks before summer crowds arrive.
Local Events
The festival calendar
From woolly worm races in Banner Elk to the summer concert series at Beech Mountain Resort, the High Country runs on small-town festivals with big views.
See what's onAbout the Editor
Justin, your mountain neighbor
Justin Yvonne Wiechart has spent 25-plus years helping people find their place in Central Florida, and she spends as much time as she can in the High Country, where she owns the Heart of Beech Retreat. This guide is her way of sharing the free, beautiful, dog-friendly side of the mountains.
Read her story
Plan Your Stay
Come see why the mountains keep us coming back
Book the Heart of Beech Retreat for your next weekend, or send a note and we will help you plan it.