It's time for me to begin a series on Roan Mountain, my favorite "local" spot. It's about 3 and a half hours from where I live, but but totally worth the drive. The photo links are located to the right if you haven't already seen them.

Roan Mountain borders North Carolina and Tennessee. It is located here. If you are coming from the Charlotte, southern Piedmont area, it is worth taking 321 up through Blowing Rock, N.C. and Boone N.C. The drive from this direction is absolutely beautiful. You'll get a great view of the Appalachian Mountains and Grandfather Mountain. If you have 3 hours or so, you can drive to Grandfather Mountain. I would recommend an afternoon, and plan on hiking. To get to Roan Mountain you can either go Linville or Banner Elk. I prefer Banner Elk. While it has grown over the years, it's still small and touristy. A pleasant place to drive through, or to stop and kill a couple hours enjoying the sites. The road beyond Banner Elk is an older two lane mountain road. It's not fast, but it's an enjoyable ride.

Once you reach Roan Mountain you can visit the State Park or rent one of the cabins on the mountain, or if you are fortunate like me, you have a friend whose parents own a cabin. The photo at the top of the Blog is from their back deck. I'll write more on Roan Mountain my next post, but in the meantime let me encourage you to read the state park website.