The Great Sunset Views From Flat Rock Trail
A friend and myself were fortunate to have a sunny day to hike one of my favorite short hikes on the BRP, Flat Rock Self-Guiding Loop Trail. The parking lot and trailhead are located at MP 308.3. It is about a 5 minute drive going south on the Parkway from the intersection of Hwy. 221 at Grandfather Mountain.
This is an easy, slightly inclining trail which is a pleasant 15-minute walk in the woods, meandering through some nice and varied foliage. An extra treat is that many species are marked and identified. In no time, you are walking onto the outcrop of Flatrock which is a massive crop of quartzite. There are incredible 180° long range views of a western panorama. This is definitely one of the great sunset views on the BRP.
We sat for at least an hour on some huge boulders taking in the exceptional good energy. We were able to get some great pictures of our experience.
This is a “bring some sweet tea, kick back on the rocks and watch the sunset” kind of place. Even though this is only 7/10 of a mile hike, I give it a rating of 4 ½ hiking sticks out of possible 5, because of the great sunset views at Flat Rock.
You can get more information on this trail and other great BRP hiking trails in the book “Hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway” by Randy Johnson. It is available online at my favorite Virtual Blue Ridge Bookstore. Cool Runnings!
