Gonz wrote: >Missed going to GFM in June, so planning on going over there with my >wife in the first part of July. She's always wanted to go and we want >to escape the Texas heat for a little bit. We are staying in an inn >in Blowing Rock. I've never gone on Mark's trek up the mountain, so >we are going to attempt that one of the days. Not sure how long that >takes, anybody know? Hopefully the weather is awesome and we can get >some nice shots to share with the list. > >GFM opens at 8am and closes at 7pm. Sunrise is earlier than that and >sunset is later than that. I don't know if they let you stay longer, >I would like to get some sunset shots from the swinging bridge area. >Do they mean you can't get out of the park after 7?
I'm afraid the only way to get sunrise/sunset photos from the swinging bridge, or anywhere else in the "road" side of GFM, is to be there for the Nature Photography Weekend or the Camera Clinic Weekend (August). You can get sunrise and sunset from out on the back country trails on the mountain, but that means camping out on the mountain overnight after hiking in from Boone Fork on the Blue Ridge Parkway or the Profile Trail on Rt 105 (best spots are Watauga View, Calloway Peak and Attic Window Peak). For doing the Attic Window hike (or any other hike on the trails) download the map from by web site at http://www.robertstech.com/blog/?p=58 (scroll down to the map thumbnail). From the main entrance, drive up the Black Rock Parking Area (the Grandfather Trail at the very top of the mountain is still closed while they do trail repairs). From the far corner of the Black Rock parking lot take the Grandfather Trail Extension up the Grandfather Trail, turn right and continue along the trail, up ladders and steep slopes. You'll pass MacRae Peak after about a mile and Attic Window Peak about a quarter of a mile beyond that. Count on making about 1 mile per hour on these trails. You can also start up the mountain from outside the park. One option is to begin at the Boone Fork parking area on the Blue Ridge Parkway: Take the Tanawha Trail either to the Daniel Boon Scout Trail and up the mountain or to the Nuwati Trail and then Cragway Trail up the mountain. Either route takes you up to Calloway Peak and the Grandfather Trail which runs along the spine of the mountain. The other starting point is the Profile Trail parking area on Route 105 on the other side of the mountain. The Profile Trail also goes all the way up to Calloway. If you go all the way to MacRae Peak, any of these trail options should be considered an all-day affair. -- Mark Roberts - Photography & Multimedia www.robertstech.com --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
