Two people in front of a lush mountain view.

Weekend Itinerary: Explore a Fine Time in Spruce Pine

You have an adventurous side, a side that loves exploring the best that the outdoors has to offer. Yet there’s also your creative side, a side equally in need of nurturing. With a weekend in Spruce Pine you can satisfy both needs.  


Day 1

Morning

Since it’s easier to sit still after expending some energy, begin the day with a hike -- or two. And since you are on the Blue Ridge Escarpment, where mountain runoff abruptly contends with steep drops, how about a couple of hikes that feature impressive waterfalls?  

  • Linville Falls (20 minutes from Spruce Pine). Perhaps the most well-known cascade in the region is Linville Falls. The falls are fed by the up-‘til-now placid Linville River, which suddenly finds itself entering Linville Gorge, where the river will drop 2,000 feet over the next 13 miles. A good bit of that drop occurs here, with an introductory drop at upper falls, followed by a 45-foot drop over lower falls. It’s not so much the drops themselves that give Linville Falls its “Wow!” factor; rather, it’s the narrow passage the river must squeeze through, creating a deafening roar. There are several overlooks to catch the falls at different stages along both the Erwins View (1.6 miles roundtrip) and Linville Gorge Trails (1.4 miles out-and-back).  
  • Crabtree Falls (30 minutes from Spruce Pine) Big Crabtree Creek’s descent down a 60-foot rockface may not be as dramatic as the display at Linville, but it’s hard to beat as an intimate encounter with nature. You come to the falls after a little over a mile on the Crabtree Falls Trail; here, a rocky bowl shrouded in rhododendron creates an ideal viewing platform. Enjoy the spray on a hot summer’s day or stick to the footbridge for a drier appreciation. You can return the way you came, for a 2.2-mile hike, but for the investment of another half mile, continue on the Crabtree Falls Trail loop for a slightly longer but less taxing return.

Afternoon

  • After a picnic lunch at the Crabtree Falls Campground, head north on the Blue Ridge Parkway for about 8 miles to the Museum of North Carolina Minerals. This National Park Service facility employs hands-on and interactive exhibits to explore the rich mineral content of the Blue Ridge Mountains as well as the history of mining in the region, which dates back 3,000 years.


Day 2

Morning

  • In 1780 the most important trail in the land was the Overmountain Victory Trail, representing the paths that the patriot militia took through Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina on their way to the Battle of Kings Mountain in South Carolina, a pivotal moment in the Revolutionary War. The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail covers 330 miles of that epic march through the four states; the 225 miles in North Carolina is make up the Overmountain Victory State Trail, one of North Carolina’s 15 State Trails. One of the few sections of the OMVST you can hike today is just outside Spruce Pine. The trail, which you can pick up off U.S. 226, follows Grassy Creek for just under a half mile, making for a nearly 1-mile out-and-back hike.  

Afternoon

  • Penland School of Craft. Feeling creative? The famous Penland School of Craft, 15 minutes outside of town, offers a range of workshops in a variety of disciplines led by some of the top artisans in their fields. Many classes run for a week, but there are shorter courses in everything from clay and glass to papermaking and photography. There are intro classes for beginners, advanced classes for folks looking to hone their craft. And if you’re shy about throwing a pot yourself, there’s also a gallery and visitor center, where you can admire (and purchase) the work of others.  

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