Welcome to the High Country

North Carolina’s High Country provides the best vacation experience in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Our area includes 100 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway and these popular tourist destinations: Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, Beech Mountain, Grandfather Mountain, Linville, N. Wilkesboro, Sparta, Valle Crucis, West Jefferson and Wilkesboro. Visitors enjoy hiking, rafting, arts & crafts, shopping, skiing and the famous Tweetsie Railroad.

Click Here for information about NC High Country Ski Resorts

Easter Egg Hunt on Sugar Mountain Slopes

Sugar Mountain Resort hosts its fourth annual Easter egg hunt Sunday, March 21, on the ski slopes. Hundreds of fun-filled plastic eggs will be spread across the lower portion of the Lower Flying Mile slope. One lucky child will find a "golden" egg containing a 2010-2011 season pass. Meanwhile, there will be 10 eggs containing complimentary midweek lift/slope vouchers for 2010-11, and five eggs containing complimentary anytime lift/slope vouchers for 2010-11.

The Easter egg hunt is open to children 12 and under who have a valid slope pass on March 21. Participants will load the Summit #1 lift promptly at 9 a.m. and unload at mid-station for the hunt's starting line. The hunt begins as soon as all participants have gathered.

Prizes will be awarded to the top three costumes, judged on creativity. All participants receive a complimentary ice skating voucher for next season. For more info, call 1-800-SUGARMT or visit http://www.skisugar.com/calendar.

Blowing Rock Trout Derby is April 3-4

Blowing Rock's popular Trout Derby takes place April 3-4. There's no entry fee or registration required. Instead, anglers need only to catch a trout in public trout waters in the Blowing Rock area and bring their catch to the American Legion post to be measured.

Trophies will be awarded at 4:15 p.m. Sunday in five categories: men, women, 12-14 boys, 12-14 girls, and 11-under boys & girls. Broyhill Lake is open to anyone for fishing without a license. Otherwise, a valid North Carolina trout fishing license is required to fish all other public waters in the area. Trout Derby hours are 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

For more info, call the Blowing Rock Tourism Development Authority at (828) 295-4636, or visit www.blowingrock.com.

I-40 Rock Slide Information

Travelers can still reach Western North Carolina via a number of routes. An official detour has been set up for inter-state traffic. Motorists traveling west to Tennessee should take I-40 West to I-240 West (Exit 53b) in Asheville to I-26 West (Exit 4a). Follow I-26 West from Asheville to I-81 South (Exit 8a) in Tennessee, back to I-40. Eastbound motorists will follow the reverse directions.

A map is available at https://apps.dot.state.nc.us/TIMS/default.aspx.
More information about the I-40 Rock Slide is available here.