SPECIAL OFFER: Mountain Bike & Hike Package Includes two nights in an inn, condo or chalet with wine tasting for two at Banner Elk Winery, mini golf for two at Famous Brick Oven Pizzeria, day pass for two to Buckeye Recreation Center, Emerald Outback biking and hiking trail map and Town of Beech Mountain trail system map. Offered April-October 2012. $159 for two nights, two persons Click here to visit their Web site

Beech Mountain is a ski paradise in the winter. In the summer, it is a hiking and mountain bike paradise. No need to go driving around looking for hard-to-find trails; you can simply walk from your inn, condo or house rental. If you are not a outdoors adventurer, Beech Mountain is also a quaint, small village perfect for a quiet romantic getaway atop a mountain. And it's the coolest town in North Carolina, literally. Since it is eastern America's highest town (elevation 5,506 feet), temperatures seldom exceed 72 degrees! That's a nice treat in the middle of a hot summer in the lowlands. In addition to shopping and dining, there is plenty of see and do near Beech Mountain, including nearby Banner Elk and Grandfather Mountain.

Beech Mountain Hiking in North Carolina
Their 20 miles of designated hiking trails will please all skill levels - from strenuous climbs to easy strolls. If you stay the night in Beech Mountain, you can often hike directly from your inn, cabin rental or condo! Wooded trails take you through old growth forest, where waterfalls abound, over an old logging road, and beside a railroad grade that once carried the logs harvested on the ski slopes. They even have a 1/4 mile paved handicap accessible trail around Lake Coffey.

Summer Beech Mountain Trail Guided Hikes
The Town of Beech Mountain hosts guided hikes on the mountain on the first Tuesday of each month from April through October. All hikes are led by Recreation Staff and Volunteers. For additional information please call the Buckeye Recreation Center at 828-387-3003. Hikes are subject to weather condition and may change.

Sampling of Hikes
All of the designated trails are marked. Maps displayed at each trailhead are easy to follow and include trail descriptions and helpful information. Here are just a few of our favorites:

The Emerald Outback: Nearly 10 miles of gorgeous, flowing trails, situated between 4,700 and 5,500 feet in elevation. Great for hiking and biking! The Emerald Outback offers a wealth of unique terrain and vegetation, as well as overlooks with stunning vistas of the Elk River Valley.

Buckeye Gap Loop Trail: This 5.1-mile loop is a vigorous hike that takes you over a variety of terrain including grassy paths and old logging roads. This will test your hiking stamina and give you a great hike.

Falls Trail: A moderate 1.5 mile loop, with a 450 feet elevation change, starts with rock steps downward, then meandering back and forth toward Buckeye Creek and the Falls.

Mountain Biking
Follow the route of Lance Armstrong and the Tour Du Pont or enjoy 50 miles of great riding for all skill levels on the town's road bike routes. Beech is a bikers mountain offering something for everyone. The new Adventure Trail Park is a series of trails on both public and private land, maintained by the Town of Beech Mountain, that includes single track, double track, technical downhill runs, free ride areas, fire roads, and old unmaintained gravel roads. All trails have been designed by hikers, bikers, and trail runners to better meet the needs of such outdoor enthusiasts. For bikers, over 6+ miles of single track, and more to come, gives you the east coast’s highest single track cross country trail network with all 6+ miles nestled above 5,100 ft. Take into account an average high temperature of 72 degrees in July and August and you have a perfect summer training ground!

The trails also provide for a fun, rolling and long descent from altitudes of 5,400 ft. down to the bottom of falls trail loop at 3,200 ft, potentially 2,200 ft. of elevation change that meanders through high mountain balds, across scenic overlooks, rolls through untouched forest land, and finishes in the gorgeous 65 acre Buckeye Lake Recreation area.

Annually, hundreds of bikers ascend the south side of the mountain from Banner Elk to the site of the Tour Du Pont finish line. A climb in elevation of 1,400 feet in 3.5 miles, the Beech Mountain Parkway offers a great route most of the year.

Once on Beech, a variety of great biking awaits you with the town's 51 miles of paved bike routes. All routes begin at the visitors center, adjacent to the town hall. Traffic is usually minimal and Beech's 25 mph speed limit is a positive for cyclists.

Mile High Kite Festival, Labor Day Weekend
The fun Kite Festival takes place on Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the town meadow, located above 5,000 feet in elevation. Ample room is available for everyone to fly, plus there's a reserved field for demonstrations from the Wings Across Carolina Kiting and Okra Society (WACKOS) and the Richmond Air Force club from Richmond, Va. Prizes will be given for biggest kite, smallest kite and best decorated kite. Also see a variety of craft and food vendors.

Mountain Bike Gravity National Championships
USA Cycling has chosen Beech Mountain Resort as the site of the 2012 Mountain Bike Gravity National Championships. The resort, the highest ski area in eastern North America, is developing the course and enhancing its lifts with the goal of creating an advanced facility for all mountain bike enthusiasts. Beech Mountain, where Lance Armstrong trained and the Tour DuPont was run for four of its six years, has long been a destination for peddlers, and the USA Cycling championships will elevate its status even higher.