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Grandfather Mountain — Profile Trail

Banner Elk, NC · 36.109, -81.833

Toughest trail in the Blue Ridge. 3 miles with 2,000 ft gain, ladders, cables, and exposed scrambling. UN-designated biosphere reserve.

StrenuousSoutheast5,946 ftExposed ridgeScrambleSummit views

Grandfather Mountain — Profile Trail

🌫️ Fog

Reconsider
36°
Feels 21°FSummit · 5,946 ft
7:36 AM6:48 PM
BELOW FREEZINGDANGEROUS WIND

Wind

38mph

Precip

6%

Humid

100%

Elev Δ

+2000ft

12-Hour Temp Trend

33°42°

Hourly Forecast

12 PM

⛅

40°

18mph

1 PM

⛅

41°

18mph

2 PM

⛅

41°

18mph

3 PM

⛅

42°

18mph

4 PM

⛅

41°

17mph

5 PM

☀️

41°

17mph

6 PM

☀️

39°

17mph

7 PM

☀️

37°

15mph

8 PM

☀️

35°

14mph

9 PM

☀️

34°

11mph

10 PM

☀️

34°

8mph

11 PM

☀️

33°

9mph

Summit Conditions

41°F→−5°→36°F

Wet lapse rate: 2.7°F/1,000ft · 1,996 ft gain

◎L1
Merino wool 200g base layer

Medium-weight merino regulates temp and resists odor on long days

◉L2
Grid fleece jacket

Stretchy grid fleece balances warmth and breathability on climbs

◈L3
Wind shell jacketPACK

Blocks summit wind without trapping sweat on the approach

Summit Pack List

↟Wind shell↟Light puffy (optional)↟Beanie↟Light gloves

Start Cold Tip

Start in your base + fleece. You'll warm up on the switchbacks. Pack your wind shell for the exposed ridge — wind hits different above treeline.

Trail Guide

Updated 11:41:01 AM · America/New_York

Updated Oct 17, 11:41 AM UTC

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