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

Appalachian Ski Mtn. Hosts Midnight Blast Weekends

Late night skiing is available this winter in the High Country. Appalachian Ski Mtn. in Blowing Rock hosts nine Midnight Blast Weekends from Dec. 26 through Feb. 20.

On Fridays and Saturdays of these special weekends, night skiing begins at its usual 6 p.m. time, but stays open an extra two hours until midnight. Best of all, these extended hours are offered at no additional cost.

"With challenging economic times, people looking for a good value will discover that this is the best ticket value that we offer, at a time that is actually convenient," said Appalachian Ski Mtn. General Manager Brad Moretz.

Appalachian is the only ski area in the Southeast region offering late-night skiing this winter.

For info, visit www.AppSkiMtn.com or call (828) 295-7828.

Youth Sledding Hill Open Daily atop Beech Mtn.

Beech Mountain's youth sledding hill has opened for the winter season. The hill draws families from across the Southeast for sledding on a daily basis. Conditions are generally very good throughout the winter. Beech Mountain (elevation 5,506 feet) averages more than 80 inches of snowfall per year, and the town has its own gun for blowing snow when Mother Nature isn't.

The Beech sledding hill is located next to the Chamber of Commerce. It is open daily at no charge for kids 12 and under, although parents may ride with smaller
children. Plastic sleds are required. Folks are encouraged to bring their own sleds, or they may be purchased at stores on the mountain. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Parking and restrooms are provided by the chamber. People are encouraged to call the chamber at (800) 468-5506 to receive live updates on sledding conditions. "All I have to do is look out the window," says the chamber's Peggy Coscia. "We're that close."

Additional info on the Beech Mountain sledding hill is available at: www.beechmtn.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.