Blue Ridge For Rent offers blue ridge cabin rentals that are pet friendly boone lodging. With discounts at Grandfather Mountain to a dollar! Visit BLUE RIDGE FOR RENT for your next Blue Ridge Vacation as it is the #1 choice for Luxury Blue Ridge Cabin Rentals. Blue Ridge For Rent offers Pet friendly Boone Cabins and Pet Friendly Blowing Rock Rental Cabins NC.

For your family's NC Mountain Cabin Rentals, turn to www.BlueRidgeForRent.com .

It’s Dollar Days at Grandfather

Migratory Birds, Spring Flowers, Wildlife Habitats, the Mile-High Swinging Bridge, Biodiversity Galore, Warm Weather and More

Story by Justin Grimes

Photography Courtesy of Grandfather Mountain and Helen Moss

Come see the otters, Nottoway, Santee and Oconee frolic the day away for only a buck. That’s right, for the mere cost of a small soda, High Country residents and their guests can enjoy all of Grandfather Mountain’s treasures during the month of April and that’s a lot of splendor for small change.

In April, wild flowers begin their march up the venerable mountain. Migratory birds, warblers in particular, begin flying over, and the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation (GMSF) has created new opportunities for residents and visitors to get more involved.

The special April Dollar Days $1 admission is offered to residents and those working in the six counties—Mitchell, Avery, Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany and Wilkes—represented by the High Country Host regional travel promotion organization. The discount is also extended to students attending colleges and universities in the High Country and to guests traveling in the same vehicle with those eligible for the April discount. To participate, present a drivers’ license, college ID or local utility bill as proof of High Country residency. An employee identification badge or pay stub can be used to show employment at a High Country business.

“We are pleased to continue the Dollar Days tradition,” said Grandfather Mountain Operations Manager Crae Morton. “Grandfather Mountain would not be what it is without the support of the local community, and we thank everyone for their generosity and good will.”

Agreeing with Morton, GMSF Executive Director Penn Dameron said, “We’ve worked diligently preparing for Dollar Days. We always want to provide the best visitor experience possible while preserving the mountain—it’s part of our mission. After the winter we’ve endured in the High Country, I think people have cabin fever and will want to see spring. We took hard hits from the ice storms and we’ve worked hard clearing the storm damage—an expensive undertaking,” he continued.

Dameron talked about the many new improvements and programs the GMSF has planned or are underway. “Now that we are a nonprofit, all the revenue we earn is plowed back into the park and we have new creative programs underway and planned for community members and visitors to get involved in,” he said. “Our new Adopt-an-Animal program is off to a good start and preparations are underway for our new Keeper-for-a-Day and Behind-the-Scenes Tour programs.

Praising the new programs, Animal Habitat Manager Christie Tipton said she was very excited. “The new programs are ways for us to raise money for the animals. The funds will help us repair our buildings, purchase needed medical equipment and improve the natural habitats,” she said. 

Admitting that she was partial to the otters, Tipton explained in detail a floating island for the otters complete with holes and tunnels she hopes to build with the new revenue. “Nottoway, Santee and Oconee are so curious, cute and playful,” she said. “They deserve an improved habitat.”

The mountain recently announced the closing on June 1 of its Bear Hut, the outpost from which visitors have purchased food to feed the habitat’s bears for decades. The Bear Hut will operate during April and May from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily, affording one last window of opportunity to feed Grandfather’s bears before the concession closes.

“We invite local residents and workers to come feed the habitat bears one last time while taking advantage of April Dollar Days,” said Dameron. “We’re excited about the June 1 changes as they will bring a more natural experience for both the bears and the visitors.”

Tipton said that closing the Bear Hut has been contemplated for years. “Way back, visitors fed the bears peanuts and they got too fat. We switched to a special formulated food for omnivores to correct the peanut problem, but the bears are like people, some have developed better begging skills than others. We can’t be sure, at the end of the day, which bears have been fed properly,” Tipton continued. “This is a good change. It’s for the physical and psychological well being of the bears.”

The bears in the wildlife habitats have emerged but could possibly be in and out of their dens if cold weather comes along. Five other animal habitats contain cougars, river otters, a bald eagle, a golden eagle and white-tailed deer that can be photographed from close range in their natural surroundings.

This season of the year also provides a great opportunity to pick up some food from Mildred’s Grill, located in the Nature Museum, and take it to one of the mountain’s 100 picnic tables.

Construction continues on Grandfather’s new Top Shop building located next to the Mile-High Swinging Bridge. Scheduled for completion this summer, the new building provides elevator access to the Swinging Bridge area, houses a gift shop and restrooms and includes educational and interpretive elements.

At this time, a temporary Top Shop is in place to provide a small retail area and to house the mountain’s communications equipment.

Grandfather’s trails cannot be accessed from the Swinging Bridge parking lot due to the construction. All hikers need to park at the Black Rock parking area, below the switchbacks to the summit, and hike out from there.

Trails Manager Luke Appling said that all the trails in the Stewardship area were open and that most all trails in the state park have been cleared of debris from winter storms. Many volunteers along with GMSF staff and state park rangers have cleared the way. Even though there is no fee for hiking the state park trail sections, visitors still need a permit. According to Appling, permits are obtainable at all the previous permit outlets and are also available in drop boxes at trailheads.

One good way to get some fresh air during a visit to Grandfather is to walk on the Black Rock Nature Trail that runs out a mile and back through northern hardwood and spruce forests. This trail is marked with interpretive signs that give hikers a better idea of the significance of the nature around them.

The mountain is open every day in April, weather permitting. The hours of operation April 1 through April 16 are 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with ticket sales ending at 5:00 p.m. Starting April 17 hours extend from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., with ticket sales ending at 6:00 p.m. For current conditions, call 828-733-4337.