Blue Ridge Country September/October 2020 - 7

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Grandfather Mountain
safe outdoor fun

G

At more than a mile above sea level,
Grandfather Mountain offers visitors
a unique vantage point to the natural
world, with majestic views of the WNC
High Country, the Mile High Swinging
Bridge, wildlife habitats, hiking trails
and more.
Photos courtesy of the Grandfather
Mountain Stewardship Foundation

randfather Mountain offers visitors
the chance to get close to nature -
and away from everything else.
Towering 5,946 feet above sea level -
over a mile high - in Linville, N.C., the
nonprofit nature park (not to be confused
with the neighboring Grandfather Mountain
State Park) offers mountains of outdoor
activities that are safe and fun for the whole
family, even during COVID-19.
This includes Grandfather's most
popular attraction, the Mile High Swinging
Bridge. Measuring at a mile in elevation
and suspended over an 80-foot chasm, the
bridge provides 360-degree views, cool
temperatures-sometimes 20 degrees
cooler than the surrounding areas-and a
one-of-a-kind adventure in the clouds. On a
clear day, guests can even see the Charlotte
skyline some 80 miles away.
Grandfather Mountain is home to
environmental wildlife habitats, where
visitors can see the park's resident black
bears, cougars, river otters, bald eagles
and elk, all of whom were either rescued or
orphaned in the wild or born into captivity
before arriving at Grandfather, therefore
unfit to be released back into the wild.
Grandfather features access to over
12 miles of pristine hiking trails varying in
difficulty from a leisurely walk to a rigorous
trek across rugged peaks, making it an
ideal outdoor destination for natural social

distancing.
And that's only the tip of the mountain.
To learn more about all the activities
Grandfather Mountain has to offer, please
visit www.grandfather.com.
With safety in mind, Grandfather
Mountain has enacted numerous
procedures to help prevent and reduce the
spread of COVID-19, including:
* Online admission only to limit the
number of guests in the park at one time
* One-way pedestrian traffic in popular
areas, such as the Mile High Swinging
Bridge and animal habitats
* Social-distancing markers
* Protective barriers at the entrance gate,
gift shops and restaurant
* Restaurant tables spaced at least
6 feet apart
* Increased sanitization stations
throughout the park
* Required face coverings indoors and
outdoors when safe social distancing
cannot be maintained
To learn more about Grandfather
Mountain's COVID-19 operating
procedures, please visit www.grandfather.
com/covid-19-update/.
The nonprofit Grandfather Mountain
Stewardship Foundation strives to inspire
conservation of the natural world by helping
guests explore, understand and value the
wonders of Grandfather Mountain.

For more information, call (800) 468-7325, or visit www.grandfather.com to book your visit.
http://www.grandfather.com http://www.grandfather http://www.grandfather.com http://www.grandfather.com
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country September/October 2020
