Elk Knob State Park near Boone North Carolina Mountains

Elk Knob State Park near Boone North Carolina

Elk Knob State Park, Todd NC

January 2009

When you arrive at Elk Knob State Park you are warned that the climb up to the Elk Knob summit is "strenuous". Rest assured that it is but know that the hike and the view at the top are well worth it.

The park was formed after the Nature Conservancy purchased 1100 acres in 2002 and subsequently transferred the land to the NC Division of Parks and Recreation. Elk Knob is the second highest peak in Watauga County.

Elk Knob was considered prime for development of summer home communities 10 years ago and a group of local concerned citizens together with the Nature Conservancy and land owners worked to purchase the land and deed it to the state.

The path to the summit starts with a newly designed trail which eventually leads to the old timber trail. The timber trail is well-marked but rocky in stretches. Park signs say that the path is 1.3 miles long and goes up over 1000 feet during this climb. It is fairly strenuous and park signs advise you to dress appropriately and bring food and water with you.

Elk Knob is an amphibolite mountain. According to Wikipedia.com (see link below):

"Amphibolite is a grouping of rocks composed mainly of amphibole (as hornblende) and plagioclase feldspars, with little or no quartz. It is typically dark-colored and heavy, with a weakly foliated or schistose (flaky) structure. The small flakes of black and white in the rock often give it a salt-and-pepper appearance." ~ Wikipedia.com - Amphibolite

Hardwood forests there include maple, beech, buckeye and birch trees. Plants include Gray's lily and purple fringed orchids.

On a clear day such as the one shown in these photos you can see White Top Mountain and Mount Rogers in Virginia and, over 50 miles away, the highest peak in the eastern U.S., Mount Mitchell in Yancey County, North Carolina.

Signs posted in the park post the following hours:

November - February 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
March and October 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.
April, May, September - 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
June - August 8 a.m. - 9 p.m.

The park has an easy-to-access picnic area. Camping facilities are not yet developed and camping is not allowed. Check with the North Carolina Parks website (see link below) for information as the park is developed.

The park is approximately 9 miles from Boone off of NC 194. See map at bottom of this page.

The park's phone number is . Their e-mail address is Elk Knob State Park near Boone North Carolina