Things To Do on Beech Mountain
Hiking & biking trails
There are so many trails to explore on Beech Mountain!
The Emerald Outback trail system is just up the mountain from our cabin, and it's the perfect trail system for families. You can create short hikes, longer hikes, and loop hikes. The trails are easy to moderate. These trails are also well-known mountain biking trails, too! We love to hike the longer perimeter trails for the great views. Kids will love to do the shorter trails that intersect with little creeks!
We also love the Falls Trail Hike from the Buckeye Recreation Center. This trail leads to a beautiful falls, and has several great swimming holes during summer months. To get to the Falls Trail, map to the Buckeye Recreation Center (and beware: you may lose your GPS signal on the way, so maybe screenshot the directions!) Once you arrive at Buckeye Rec., park and walk the paved path to the trail map marker. From there, you descend steeply to the Falls Trail, which is a 1.25 mile loop.
Beech Mountain Resort offers their slopes for mountain biking Thurs-Sunday in the summer months. You can purchase a lift ticket and then enjoy biking the trails. There is also a 18-hole disc golf course you can play and walk down.
Lake Coffey is a small lake with a 1/4 mile paved trail and boardwalk circling the lake. You can find it using a map app.
To the right of the parking for Lake Coffey there is a short gravel road that descends down. At the bottom, there is parking and two trailheads—Upper Pond Creek Trail and Lower Pond Creek Trail. One is a short but difficult hike that goes to a waterfall. The other trail is an easy to moderate hike that goes through neighborhoods and follows small streams. This second one is one of our favorite hikes! If you like to check out houses and architecture, you'll enjoy this hike, Kids really like it, too. If you walk the entire trail, it eventually takes you into the town of Beech Mountain, with a few options to exit the trail. Often, though, we just hike it for a mile and then turn around.
Check out this full map of the trails on Beech Mountain!
Family Fun on Beech
Play a round of mini golf and spend an hour in the small arcade at Famous Brick Oven Pizza. They have excellent food and a great beer selection, too!
White Wolf Lodge offers all sorts of fun things, like gem mining, rock climbing,
Beech Mountain Resort allows you to purchase a lift ticket and to enjoy the scenic views on the way up and at the top. At the top, you'll find the 5506 Skybar, where you can purchase a beverage and hang out.
Fitness
Buckeye Recreation Center offers $5 day passes and charges $8 for fitness classes. There's a weight room and kid's playroom here, so it's great for wet days! They also have indoor and outdoor tennis and pickle ball courts.
Area parks
Fishing
If you like to fish, Beech has some great options for trout fishing!
The Land of Oz
A now-defunct amusement park, The Land of Oz is rich with Beech Mountain history! It's only open for special events and private tours, so be sure to check their website and plan in advance.
Skiing, 1 mile from the cabin
Beech Mountain Resort is the best skiing in the high country— in addition to skiing and snowboarding, Beech Mountain Resort has a small snow tube run and a brewery. Tickets for many of these things are needed in advance, so plan wisely. (Pro tip: kids can spend a day in ski school, snowboard school, or childcare, but you need to book well in advance. Other group or private lessons are only available first-come, first served, so arrive early if you are an adult in need of lessons!)
Need to rent skis or other equipment? You can rent at Beech Mountain Ski Resort when you go to ski or you can pick up your equipment in advance at Fred's Mercantile, White Wolf Lodge, and several other places in town. Call in advance to learn their policies.
Sledding
When the snow is coming down, our driveway is a great sledding hill. If there isn't natural snow on the ground, Beech Mountain Sledding Hill generally makes snow Dec - March, even when it's not snowing—right in downtown Beech Mountain. The sledding hill is free for all to use! There is paid parking near the hill. (And the view from the Sledding Hill is great!)
Beech Mountain also has a great website and a free phone App!
Beech Mountain Website — run by the Beech Mountain Visitor's Center, this site has a lot of great information.
The free Beech Mountain App is called "Explore Beech Mountain" and is available for Android and iPhone. You can find a list of events for Beech Mountain, trail maps, and information about surrounding areas on this app!
Another fantastic website is Best of Beech, put together by residents who share great information!
See Beech in REAL TIME
Webcams for the slopes: https://www.beechmountainresort.com/mountain/webcams/
Webcam for the sledding hill: https://www.resortcams.com/webcams/beech-mountain-sledding-hill/
Website for the sledding hill, including phone # to call for status: https://beechmtn.com/beech-mountain-town-sledding-hill/
Webcam of Beech Parkway downtown, with view of the sledding hill: https://www.resortcams.com/webcams/beech-parkway/
There are so many trails to explore on Beech Mountain!
The Emerald Outback trail system is just up the mountain from our cabin, and it's the perfect trail system for families. You can create short hikes, longer hikes, and loop hikes. The trails are easy to moderate. These trails are also well-known mountain biking trails, too! We love to hike the longer perimeter trails for the great views. Kids will love to do the shorter trails that intersect with little creeks!
We also love the Falls Trail Hike from the Buckeye Recreation Center. This trail leads to a beautiful falls, and has several great swimming holes during summer months. To get to the Falls Trail, map to the Buckeye Recreation Center (and beware: you may lose your GPS signal on the way, so maybe screenshot the directions!) Once you arrive at Buckeye Rec., park and walk the paved path to the trail map marker. From there, you descend steeply to the Falls Trail, which is a 1.25 mile loop.
Beech Mountain Resort offers their slopes for mountain biking Thurs-Sunday in the summer months. You can purchase a lift ticket and then enjoy biking the trails. There is also a 18-hole disc golf course you can play and walk down.
Lake Coffey is a small lake with a 1/4 mile paved trail and boardwalk circling the lake. You can find it using a map app.
To the right of the parking for Lake Coffey there is a short gravel road that descends down. At the bottom, there is parking and two trailheads—Upper Pond Creek Trail and Lower Pond Creek Trail. One is a short but difficult hike that goes to a waterfall. The other trail is an easy to moderate hike that goes through neighborhoods and follows small streams. This second one is one of our favorite hikes! If you like to check out houses and architecture, you'll enjoy this hike, Kids really like it, too. If you walk the entire trail, it eventually takes you into the town of Beech Mountain, with a few options to exit the trail. Often, though, we just hike it for a mile and then turn around.
Check out this full map of the trails on Beech Mountain!
Family Fun on Beech
Play a round of mini golf and spend an hour in the small arcade at Famous Brick Oven Pizza. They have excellent food and a great beer selection, too!
White Wolf Lodge offers all sorts of fun things, like gem mining, rock climbing,
Beech Mountain Resort allows you to purchase a lift ticket and to enjoy the scenic views on the way up and at the top. At the top, you'll find the 5506 Skybar, where you can purchase a beverage and hang out.
Fitness
Buckeye Recreation Center offers $5 day passes and charges $8 for fitness classes. There's a weight room and kid's playroom here, so it's great for wet days! They also have indoor and outdoor tennis and pickle ball courts.
Area parks
- Buckeye Recreation Center has a great park for kids right near the main parking lot. They also offer soccer and baseball fields, too.
- Fireman's Park Playground is perfect for toddlers and small kids.
- The new playground near the Bark Park is a great place for kids to burn off some energy, too. This playground is located off Watertank Rd, up the road behind Famous Brick Oven Pizzeria.
Fishing
If you like to fish, Beech has some great options for trout fishing!
The Land of Oz
A now-defunct amusement park, The Land of Oz is rich with Beech Mountain history! It's only open for special events and private tours, so be sure to check their website and plan in advance.
Skiing, 1 mile from the cabin
Beech Mountain Resort is the best skiing in the high country— in addition to skiing and snowboarding, Beech Mountain Resort has a small snow tube run and a brewery. Tickets for many of these things are needed in advance, so plan wisely. (Pro tip: kids can spend a day in ski school, snowboard school, or childcare, but you need to book well in advance. Other group or private lessons are only available first-come, first served, so arrive early if you are an adult in need of lessons!)
Need to rent skis or other equipment? You can rent at Beech Mountain Ski Resort when you go to ski or you can pick up your equipment in advance at Fred's Mercantile, White Wolf Lodge, and several other places in town. Call in advance to learn their policies.
Sledding
When the snow is coming down, our driveway is a great sledding hill. If there isn't natural snow on the ground, Beech Mountain Sledding Hill generally makes snow Dec - March, even when it's not snowing—right in downtown Beech Mountain. The sledding hill is free for all to use! There is paid parking near the hill. (And the view from the Sledding Hill is great!)
Beech Mountain also has a great website and a free phone App!
Beech Mountain Website — run by the Beech Mountain Visitor's Center, this site has a lot of great information.
The free Beech Mountain App is called "Explore Beech Mountain" and is available for Android and iPhone. You can find a list of events for Beech Mountain, trail maps, and information about surrounding areas on this app!
Another fantastic website is Best of Beech, put together by residents who share great information!
See Beech in REAL TIME
Webcams for the slopes: https://www.beechmountainresort.com/mountain/webcams/
Webcam for the sledding hill: https://www.resortcams.com/webcams/beech-mountain-sledding-hill/
Website for the sledding hill, including phone # to call for status: https://beechmtn.com/beech-mountain-town-sledding-hill/
Webcam of Beech Parkway downtown, with view of the sledding hill: https://www.resortcams.com/webcams/beech-parkway/
Things To Do Nearby
Thrills, rides, and tourism
Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster
This fun and exhilarating alpine coaster is just 20 or so minutes away! This quick ride is a nice addition to a day full of other plans. (Pro tip: reserve your time slot in advance!) Kids as young as 9 can ride alone, but younger kids will need to ride with an adult. You can choose a 3-pack of rides, and that's what we'd recommend.
Wilderness Run Adventure Course
Adjacent to the Alpine Coaster, this new adventure ropes course is open 10 - 8 and offers 28 different obstacles. They have a little explorer course for kids 2-7, and offer their larger course for older kids and adults.
Tweetsie
Only 45 minutes away, Tweetsie is a must-do amusement park if you have younger kids in tow. Our daughter really loves the fair-type rides, the petting zoo, and the train ride. You can easily spend most of a day here. They have special events for Halloween and Christmas and are otherwise open seasonally.
Mystery Hill
At about 45 minutes away, there are several different things you can do here, including throw axes, walk along the river, go gem mining, and more.
Off The Grid Mountain Adventures
You can rent UTVs for a UTV tour right in Banner Elk, or you can travel to their facility an hour away in Elizabethton, TN and try Go-Kart racing and other fun adventures.
White Wolf Lodge
Right on Beech Mountain, you can rent dune buggies (covered ATVs), eBikes, mountain bikes, and paddle boards for plenty of options for adventurous members of your crew!
Hiking, caverns, swimming holes, waterfalls, and zip lines
Grandfather Mountain
Their small animal sanctuary, hiking trails, gift shop, and swinging bridge keep us coming back, and it's just down the mountain and about 40 minutes away.
Wildcat Lake Beach
About 15 minutes away, you'll find a popular small-lake summer swimming hole complete with white sandy beach, swimming pier, lifeguards, and fishing dock.
Otter Falls
We love this family-friendly easy hike only 30 minutes away in nearby Seven Devils. In the summer, there is a small splashing hole that kids will love. The parking area is small, so if it's a beautiful day arrive early! (This is a great trail for smaller kids!)
Hawksnest
The best zip line in the area— truly so much fun for the whole family!—and only 30 minutes away from the cabin. Kids as young as 5 can take part! The views are just lovely, and we've always enjoyed our guides.
Linville Caverns
These caverns are a remarkable natural wonder, and you can get to them in less than an hour.
Roan Mountain State Park
Located in Tennessee about 35 minutes away, Roan Mountain State Park is full of wide-open balds, great views, and lovely trails. The Appalachian Trail goes through this park, too. It's a marvel to hike here!
Watauga Lake
Just 45 minutes away, Watauga Lake offers swimming, fishing, picnic areas, and boating. There are several nearby marinas that offer pontoon boats (and tubes!) for a day of family fun on the lake. We definitely recommend that you reserve in advance.
Caving, rafting, kayaking, and river tubing
These reputable companies offer caving adventures and river adventures in the area. We recently tubed the New River with High Mountain Expeditions and had a great time! It was fun and easy for all generations of family on our trip.
Wineries
Both Grandfather Vineyard and Banner Elk Winery offer places to relax while sipping a glass of vino. They often offer live music and food trucks. It's easy to lounge at Grandfather Winery and enjoy the Watauga River that flows on the property— it's got plenty of seating, and a great view! Kids love to play in the shallow river water, so pack a towel and a bathing suit for the little ones. T
Winter skiing and snow play options
In addition to Beech Mountain Ski Resort, a mile away, here are other options:
Nearby Sugar Mountain Resort has skiing, snowboarding, and some snow tubing, and it's only 25 minutes away.
Hawksnest has fantastic snow tubing in winter months, and it's only 30 minutes away from the cabin.
Jonas Ridge Snow Tubing is 35 minutes away, and it's another great option for snow tubing in the winter months.
Appalachian Ski Mountain in Boone is another nearby ski and snowboard slope. Appalachian is excellent for brand-new skiers.
Spas and Retreat Centers
Need a spa day? There are several area spa and retreat centers to choose from:
Other unique High Country offerings!
At 75 minutes away, it's a bit of a drive, but at Ashe County Cheese, you can watch cheese being made.
The Orchard at Altapass is an hour away, and offers hayrides, seasonal apple picking, live music, and special events.
Just 75 minutes away in Damascus, Virginia, you can rent or bring bikes and ride the Virginia Creeper Trail, an historic 34.3 mile trail. You can shuttle to the top and enjoy the easy, breezy ride down Whitetop Mountain through rich, natural scenery.
Horn in the West in Boone is a summer outdoor drama and history museum. They've been offering Revolutionary War entertainment since 1952.
The Children's Museum is located in Boone, and is a kids' museum is for kids up to 8.
Other helpful websites for the High Country
Explore Boone— this great website has information on Boone and surrounding areas.
High Country Guide— another helpful website that shares pertinent information and events.
High Country Host — this website has really great lists, like a list of kids summer activities and suggestions for what to do with kids on rainy days.
Itineraries our family has enjoyed!
Banner Elk - Wander along the Elk River, where kids will enjoy rock hopping and geese watching. Stop by the May Wildlife Rehab Center, where you can walk by the birds of prey in the outdoor enclosures. enjoy a drink at the outdoor space of Sorrento's, and have lunch or dinner there or at any of the restaurants nearby. Kids in tow? There's a small arcade down the alleyway past Sorrento's, and then hop into BE Scooped for ice cream afterward.
Valle Crucis - It's so fun and easy to make a day of Valle Crucis! Head to the Mast General Store Annex to browse and visit their old-fashioned candy room. From there, head into Valle Crucis Park to picnic, splash in the Watauga River, walk, and play on the playground. Don't miss ice cream at Dutch Creek Ice Cream behind the Mast General Store! Add in a little water adventure by visiting Crab Orchard Falls, just a half mile hike from the Valle Crucis Conference Center. Over Yonder is a much-loved restaurant for dinner or lunch. And don't forget to stop at the Jerky Outpost on your way out of town!
Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster
This fun and exhilarating alpine coaster is just 20 or so minutes away! This quick ride is a nice addition to a day full of other plans. (Pro tip: reserve your time slot in advance!) Kids as young as 9 can ride alone, but younger kids will need to ride with an adult. You can choose a 3-pack of rides, and that's what we'd recommend.
Wilderness Run Adventure Course
Adjacent to the Alpine Coaster, this new adventure ropes course is open 10 - 8 and offers 28 different obstacles. They have a little explorer course for kids 2-7, and offer their larger course for older kids and adults.
Tweetsie
Only 45 minutes away, Tweetsie is a must-do amusement park if you have younger kids in tow. Our daughter really loves the fair-type rides, the petting zoo, and the train ride. You can easily spend most of a day here. They have special events for Halloween and Christmas and are otherwise open seasonally.
Mystery Hill
At about 45 minutes away, there are several different things you can do here, including throw axes, walk along the river, go gem mining, and more.
Off The Grid Mountain Adventures
You can rent UTVs for a UTV tour right in Banner Elk, or you can travel to their facility an hour away in Elizabethton, TN and try Go-Kart racing and other fun adventures.
White Wolf Lodge
Right on Beech Mountain, you can rent dune buggies (covered ATVs), eBikes, mountain bikes, and paddle boards for plenty of options for adventurous members of your crew!
Hiking, caverns, swimming holes, waterfalls, and zip lines
Grandfather Mountain
Their small animal sanctuary, hiking trails, gift shop, and swinging bridge keep us coming back, and it's just down the mountain and about 40 minutes away.
Wildcat Lake Beach
About 15 minutes away, you'll find a popular small-lake summer swimming hole complete with white sandy beach, swimming pier, lifeguards, and fishing dock.
Otter Falls
We love this family-friendly easy hike only 30 minutes away in nearby Seven Devils. In the summer, there is a small splashing hole that kids will love. The parking area is small, so if it's a beautiful day arrive early! (This is a great trail for smaller kids!)
Hawksnest
The best zip line in the area— truly so much fun for the whole family!—and only 30 minutes away from the cabin. Kids as young as 5 can take part! The views are just lovely, and we've always enjoyed our guides.
Linville Caverns
These caverns are a remarkable natural wonder, and you can get to them in less than an hour.
Roan Mountain State Park
Located in Tennessee about 35 minutes away, Roan Mountain State Park is full of wide-open balds, great views, and lovely trails. The Appalachian Trail goes through this park, too. It's a marvel to hike here!
Watauga Lake
Just 45 minutes away, Watauga Lake offers swimming, fishing, picnic areas, and boating. There are several nearby marinas that offer pontoon boats (and tubes!) for a day of family fun on the lake. We definitely recommend that you reserve in advance.
Caving, rafting, kayaking, and river tubing
These reputable companies offer caving adventures and river adventures in the area. We recently tubed the New River with High Mountain Expeditions and had a great time! It was fun and easy for all generations of family on our trip.
Wineries
Both Grandfather Vineyard and Banner Elk Winery offer places to relax while sipping a glass of vino. They often offer live music and food trucks. It's easy to lounge at Grandfather Winery and enjoy the Watauga River that flows on the property— it's got plenty of seating, and a great view! Kids love to play in the shallow river water, so pack a towel and a bathing suit for the little ones. T
Winter skiing and snow play options
In addition to Beech Mountain Ski Resort, a mile away, here are other options:
Nearby Sugar Mountain Resort has skiing, snowboarding, and some snow tubing, and it's only 25 minutes away.
Hawksnest has fantastic snow tubing in winter months, and it's only 30 minutes away from the cabin.
Jonas Ridge Snow Tubing is 35 minutes away, and it's another great option for snow tubing in the winter months.
Appalachian Ski Mountain in Boone is another nearby ski and snowboard slope. Appalachian is excellent for brand-new skiers.
Spas and Retreat Centers
Need a spa day? There are several area spa and retreat centers to choose from:
- Westglow Resort and Spa — this one has great packages and fantastic practitioners!
- The Art of Living Retreat Center has programs and guest presenters, along with an Ayurvedic spa.
- The spa at The Inn at Crestwood
- Want something local or in-house? Vanna Holtsclaw has a sweet little massage space on Beech Mountain near Fred's. She is also a traveling massage therapist. She will happily come to the cabin and offer you an on-site massage. Contact her in advance to schedule a massage during your vacation!
Other unique High Country offerings!
At 75 minutes away, it's a bit of a drive, but at Ashe County Cheese, you can watch cheese being made.
The Orchard at Altapass is an hour away, and offers hayrides, seasonal apple picking, live music, and special events.
Just 75 minutes away in Damascus, Virginia, you can rent or bring bikes and ride the Virginia Creeper Trail, an historic 34.3 mile trail. You can shuttle to the top and enjoy the easy, breezy ride down Whitetop Mountain through rich, natural scenery.
Horn in the West in Boone is a summer outdoor drama and history museum. They've been offering Revolutionary War entertainment since 1952.
The Children's Museum is located in Boone, and is a kids' museum is for kids up to 8.
Other helpful websites for the High Country
Explore Boone— this great website has information on Boone and surrounding areas.
High Country Guide— another helpful website that shares pertinent information and events.
High Country Host — this website has really great lists, like a list of kids summer activities and suggestions for what to do with kids on rainy days.
Itineraries our family has enjoyed!
Banner Elk - Wander along the Elk River, where kids will enjoy rock hopping and geese watching. Stop by the May Wildlife Rehab Center, where you can walk by the birds of prey in the outdoor enclosures. enjoy a drink at the outdoor space of Sorrento's, and have lunch or dinner there or at any of the restaurants nearby. Kids in tow? There's a small arcade down the alleyway past Sorrento's, and then hop into BE Scooped for ice cream afterward.
Valle Crucis - It's so fun and easy to make a day of Valle Crucis! Head to the Mast General Store Annex to browse and visit their old-fashioned candy room. From there, head into Valle Crucis Park to picnic, splash in the Watauga River, walk, and play on the playground. Don't miss ice cream at Dutch Creek Ice Cream behind the Mast General Store! Add in a little water adventure by visiting Crab Orchard Falls, just a half mile hike from the Valle Crucis Conference Center. Over Yonder is a much-loved restaurant for dinner or lunch. And don't forget to stop at the Jerky Outpost on your way out of town!
Annual Events at Beech and Nearby
Annual Beech Mountain Events:
Annual Events Nearby:
- Totally 80s Ski Weekend: Weekend in February at Beech Mountain Ski Resort
- Annual Roasting of the Hog, July 4th Weekend
- Crafts on the Green, the first Saturday in August
- Mile High Kite Festival, Labor Day Weekend
- Autumn at Oz, Second Weekend in September
- and more!
Annual Events Nearby:
- Wooly Warm Festival in Banner Elk, 3rd weekend in October
- Grandfather Mountain has plenty of annual events, April - October!
- Sugar Mountain has an annual Oktoberfest and Sugarfest (each December)
- Music in the Valle: Valle Crucis Community Park has live music every Friday night May - early Sept
- More festivals to check out!