Parking
Small Beacon Heights parking area at Blue Ridge Parkway MP 305.2; use the signed trailhead beside the lot. Arrive early during peak foliage and sunset hours.
Overview
About Beacon Heights Trail
Why go
- Dual-aspect overlooks let you catch sunrise and sunset from one stop
- Easy add-on access to the Tanawha Trail for more mileage
Heads up
- Small parking area fills fast in leaf season and at sunset
- Quartzite slabs turn slick when wet or icy; use caution
Beacon Heights is a short, easy out-and-back to two quartzite overlooks on the Blue Ridge Parkway. From the Beacon Heights parking area at Milepost 305.2, the complete visitor route is about 0.8 miles round trip with roughly 100 feet of climbing. The approach is rocky and root-covered, but the views arrive quickly.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy hike this trailMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Blue Ridge Parkway map
Full mapElevation4,216–4,364 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
2 active Blue Ridge Parkway alerts
- ClosureNorth Carolina Helene-related closuresAvoid the closed Parkway section from MP 344.2–355.3; recreation of any kind is prohibited there.Official details
- ClosureVirginia Parkway closures and detourFollow the signed detour around the closed James River Bridge and avoid the closed Roanoke Mountain Loop. - James River Bridge (MP 63.5–63.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Guide
Your drive to Beacon Heights Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Blue Ridge Parkway. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Blue Ridge Parkway audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Beacon Heights: Big Views for a Short WalkListen
“The parking area you're about to see is for Beacon Heights, which offers some of the best views for the least amount of effort in this area. It's a short and slightly rocky walk, less than half a mile, to reach the top.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Stack Rock: A Quick Walk to a Forest Pillar
- Linn Cove Viaduct: The View From Below
- Grandfather Mountain Overlook
- The Linn Cove Viaduct and Its Famous Viewpoints
- 277 audio storiesacross Blue Ridge Parkway’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Elk, White-tailed Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 112 trails, 232 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…We knew we wanted to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. The narration was impeccably timed. The facts and info provided were meaningful. Without it, the trip would not have been near as awesome.”
Trail guide
Hiking Beacon Heights Trail
Route, footing, and navigationStart at the Beacon Heights parking area and follow the signed trail through mixed hardwood…
Start at the Beacon Heights parking area and follow the signed trail through mixed hardwood forest. Near the crest, a bench marks the fork: the left spur reaches an open north- and east-facing overlook, while the right spur reaches a south-facing quartzite outcrop. Visit both overlooks, then return to the parking area on the same trail. The trail is uneven and can be slick when wet or icy.
Views, geology, and what to look forThe two open quartzite overlooks provide broad views across the Blue Ridge.
The two open quartzite overlooks provide broad views across the Blue Ridge. On clear days, Table Rock, Hawksbill Mountain, and Grandfather Mountain are visible. Carolina, catawba, and rosebay rhododendrons bloom along the approach from May through July, and lichens mark the exposed rock.
Tips, crowds, and add-onsArrive early because the parking area is small and can fill during fall color and around sunset.
Arrive early because the parking area is small and can fill during fall color and around sunset. Dogs are allowed on leash, but the rocky route is not wheelchair- or stroller-friendly. For a longer hike, the nearby Tanawha Trail continues through the Beacon Heights area toward Julian Price Park and the Linn Cove Viaduct.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Blue Ridge Parkway
1,208 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
1,020 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
2,257 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
200 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
1,126 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
255 sightingsRed-tailed HawkMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Blue Ridge Parkway. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
