elk knob state park

The Summit trail was well built and designed. Go early because the afternoon gets pretty crowded. Dog liked the hike too. The north side of the summit was cold--the south side of the summit was cold AND windy. Bring something to cover your ears.

This was first time to this park, short drive from Boone, NC, Trails are well maintained, lots of switchbacks, but it is not a real problem. Great view at the top.

Took some doing to get to this place, but we got there. This was my wife's chosen activity, and she loved it. She made it all the way to the outlook, though my outlook was such that I chose to only go just over halfway there and then made my descent. The trail is mostly incline all the way, and very steep over one stretch in particular, so if you don't like that much exertion, don't do it. The trail itself is pretty good, with only the steep incline a little tenuous with the rocks, causing us to make our way back down more careful. Not a lot of roots but rather well graveled. The park is still a work in progress as new trails still being developed. Very nice ranger who spent time talking with us and telling us how volunteers helped make the trail to the peak possible in only 2 years--that was a major undertaking!

Nice easy hike. Cloudy when we went but still really nice. Would be great during the fall to the see all the colors.

We went hiking here last week and it was great. They recently finished the trail. The view from the top was spectacular. The new potty was also a great add on. We love the charcoal grills. They are still in great condition. If you love to hike and cook out, Elk Knob is a must!

This newer park is a great area. It has three hikes located on this mountain. We took the Summit Hike which takes you to the highest point in Wautaga County. The hike is a moderate 1.9 mile hike to the summit. It is very well maintained and well marked. It has resting benches along the way made out of both logs and rocks. After enjoying this hike, the picnic area is a great place to enjoy a lunch. They also have a small gift shop in the rangers station. Very nice people here! It's a must visit park for a good workout without taking a strenuous hike (we saw a group of 70 yr old women walking to the summit) You can do it!!! Enjoy!

We visited this park at the end of October 2013. What a gorgeous place! Great place to hike and just explore. Best of all it's free!!

We visited this park after eating in nearby Boone (Mint. Cuisine of India--fantastic!) and hiked the summit trail.The park is small, but beautiful. There are 11 picnic tables underneath shade trees (the entire park is shady) and backpack camping is available. The summit trail is well maintained (crushed and larger dark gravel base edged by large rocks for most of the almost 2 mile trail) and there are stone seats periodically along the trail.We happened to choose a rainy afternoon to make the hike so were not able to get a view from the summit--so will have to come back on a clear day.