Parking
Profile Trailhead, 4198 NC Hwy 105 N, Banner Elk. Parking, restrooms, and water are available at the lot next to Grandfather Shopping Center.
Overview
About Profile Trail (Grandfather Mountain)
Why go
- Free access from the state park side with parking, restrooms, and water
- Calloway Gap delivers a rewarding high-elevation finish
Heads up
- Mostly wooded with limited views until the ridge
- Long, steep stone stair sections can be punishing on the descent
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Blue Ridge Parkway map
Full mapElevation3,826–5,653 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
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 Profile Trail (Grandfather Mountain), 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 area
Wilson Creek Overlook and a Trail ShortcutListen
“The pullout coming up is for Wilson Creek Overlook. While the view looks into a protected watershed, the best feature of this stop is a bit hidden.”
Plays on the road 1.9 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Linn Cove Viaduct and Its Famous Viewpoints
- Stack Rock: A Quick Walk to a Forest Pillar
- Linn Cove Viaduct: The View From Below
- Rough Ridge: A Famous Short Hike with Big Views
- 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 Profile Trail (Grandfather Mountain)
The climbThis is a 7.2-mile out-and-back to Calloway Gap, with 3.6 miles each way.
This is a 7.2-mile out-and-back to Calloway Gap, with 3.6 miles each way. Allow at least four hours. The trail rises from about 4,034 feet at the Profile Trailhead to 5,675 feet at the gap, so the payoff is a serious mountain climb rather than a quick viewpoint walk.
What you’ll walkThe first stretch rolls through hardwood forest and seasonal wildflowers before the route turns…
The first stretch rolls through hardwood forest and seasonal wildflowers before the route turns steadily steeper. Expect rocky tread, roots, stone steps, and a demanding final push toward the ridge. Views are limited for much of the climb, then open up around Calloway Gap.
Start and stay orientedBegin at the Profile Trail parking area on NC 105, at 4198 NC Hwy 105 N in Banner Elk.
Begin at the Profile Trail parking area on NC 105, at 4198 NC Hwy 105 N in Banner Elk. Parking, restrooms, and water are available at the trailhead, but the lot fills on busy days. The state-park-side access is free. Follow the Profile Trail to Calloway Gap, where it meets the blue-blazed Grandfather Trail.
Keep the peak optionalThe listed route ends at Calloway Gap. If you still have legs, Calloway Peak is another 0.
The listed route ends at Calloway Gap. If you still have legs, Calloway Peak is another 0.4 miles along the Grandfather Trail and typically adds one to two hours round trip. I’d save that extension for a clear-weather day: the ridge views are the reward, while the steep upper trail is the part that demands the most care. At the gap, frame the open ridgeline with the trail’s rock and spruce-fir for a sense of the climb.
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.
