Travel NC With Kids: Mount Jefferson State Natural Area

Mount Jefferson State Natural Area © Katrena

Mount Jefferson State Natural Area, located between Jefferson and West Jefferson in Ashe County, offers visitors quite a few opportunities to see the surrounding areas from a higher elevation. The park can be seen from the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway. There is no charge to enter this park. This destination was a planned stop for my crew on the way to Boone, North Carolina.

Hiking Trails Near West Jefferson, NC © Katrena

The park offers several hiking trails; those with mobility issues will be delighted to find that the road offers several viewing area overlooks that can be seen from beside the road. Please note that the climb in elevation can be pretty hard on a vehicle with a small engine. Mine has a 4-cylinder and only made it to the first parking area. If you are traveling with a heavy load or small engine or both (as I was), I highly recommend stopping in West Jefferson for a few hours to cool the engine before attempting the climb in the automobile.

Beautiful Hiking Trails at Mount Jefferson in NC © Katrena

The park rangers were awesome at Mount Jefferson. They were very welcoming, offered water for my radiator, gave us info and a map about the park trails, and were very nice to my daughters. We visited in early July and the weather was wonderful with temps in the 70s and 80s with much lower humidity than our home town.

Plants Along Hiking Trail at Mt Jefferson State Natural Area © Katrena

The folks working at Mount Jefferson did mention there had been some black bear activity a couple of days before our visit but that the bear had not approached any people. We opted not to take any food with us on the hike due to this information, deciding to only carry water bottles. No, we didn't see any bears while visiting the park. Black bears aren't typically aggressive like grizzly bears, but any time you visit a state park or any outdoor area, it is always best to respect nature and to be aware of your surroundings.

Sunrise Overlook at Mount Jefferson © Katrena

I'm not sure the name of the first trail - I believe it has recently been built. It started at the lower parking lot and Welcome Center and wound its way up to the Sunrise Overlook. The trail is easy to miss unless you know where to go; simply walk to the main park sign (see photo at the top of this article) across from the parking lot and the trail begins immediately behind the sign.

Sunrise Overlook at Mt Jefferson State Natural Area © Katrena

This first trail is fairly narrow, allowing for a single-file line, but it is well-maintained. Although the trail works its way up the mountain, much of the trail is pretty level as hikers walk for a while and then turn and go up a ways and then walk in the opposite direction, similar to the way roads are designed when climbing a mountain. The trail was shaded, and we saw some beautiful plants and some large snails - I wish I had thought to take some pictures of the snails!

Sunrise Overlook at NC Park Near West Jefferson © Katrena

The first trail ends at Sunrise Overlook, an area beside the road offering a pretty view of the area. There are several picnic tables at the overlook. This would be an ideal place for a picnic with a nice view. On the day we visited, there was very little traffic on the road and only a handful of hikers that we saw.

View from Sunrise Overlook at Mt Jefferson © Katrena

The other trail we traversed was Spur Trail. If you are standing at the Sunrise Overlook and turn your back to the view, you will find the trail head of Spur Trail directly across the road. This trail would also be easy to miss, but once you are on either of these trails, it is very easy to stay on the trail as they were marked and maintained. There was one place where the Spur Trail split - stay to the left if you want to go to Sunset Overlook.

Spur Trail at Mount Jefferson State Natural Area © Katrena

The Spur Trail was very similar to the first trail. The vast majority of the trail was shaded, and it was also narrow, allowing for a single-file line. I think this one did not climb as much in elevation. There must have been a significant microburst or something as we could see a few trees that had been blown down on this second trail in one section.

Seed Pod that Looked like Starfish at Mt. Jefferson © Katrena

Both trails included several steps made from stones, so these trails would not be a good choice for someone with mobility challenges or for a stroller, but you can opt to drive to the lookouts. We saw a pretty bird nest on this trail and some seed pods that looked sort of like starfish. The ranger would have likely been able to identify those seed pod, but I forgot to ask when we arrived back at the Welcome Center.

The second trail ended at Sunset Overlook, which was also flanked by a road; this one included a larger parking area. We saw a bench dedicated in memory to someone who must have been very special and also an information board. The view here was impressive and expansive as well.

Both of the trails were one-way paths, so we hiked the opposite direction to get back to the parking lot at the Welcome Center. We invested about two hours hiking while taking our time to stop and enjoy the scenery. I believe we only saw about the lower half of the park - several trails were above where we hiked that also had parking areas, picnic tables, and bathrooms fairly nearby. According to the web site, the trails are all moderate or strenuous.

If you would like a map, directions, hours, history, or to learn more about this area, visit the Mount Jefferson State Natural Area web site. They also offer events such as Painting in the Park, Backyard Pharmacy, and more at Mount Jefferson. If you are visiting NC State Parks, I highly recommend the NC State Parks passport program - children and adults can get a "passport" and get it stamped as you visit the various parks.

Thanks for visiting Travel NC With Kids! You may wish to read additional articles about other state parks we have visited such as:

Travel NC With Kids

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Mount Jefferson State Natural Area - Beautiful View!

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