28 hiking trails within about two hours of Boone, from the grassy balds of the Roan Highlands to Mount Rogers in Virginia and Mount Mitchell in the Black Mountains
Boone sits in North Carolina's High Country, with the Roan Highlands to the west, the Black Mountains and Mount Mitchell to the south, and Virginia's Mount Rogers area to the north. Most Boone guides stop at the short Parkway walks and in-town waterfalls. This one covers the summit day trips: all 28 publish-ready trails in our database within 55 straight-line miles, sorted by distance from real trailhead coordinates — not the town center — and compared side by side in a table so you can pick by length, gain and time.
Two cautions apply to every number on this page. First, drive times are straight-line estimates at 45 mph, and High Country roads are slow two-lane mountain and Parkway roads, so the real drive is often one and a half to two times the estimate. That is why the list stops at 55 miles instead of the 100 other city pages use. Second, several summits share a single route record: the Black Mountain crest peaks and the Mount Rogers–area summits each carry identical miles and gain, because the same route reaches them. Grandfather Mountain, Rough Ridge and Linville Gorge are not listed, since none of them is a publish-ready route in our database yet.
Roan Highlands balds and the Mount Rogers area
Round-trip miles, elevation gain and time, from each trail's own record
| Trail | Miles from Boone | Est. drive | Round trip | Gain | Time | Summit | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jane Bald | 24 mi | ~32 min | 1.2 mi | 321 ft | 0.5 hr | 5,807 ft | Easy |
| Cloudland Mountain | 28 mi | ~37 min | 2.4 mi | 227 ft | 1 hr | 6,178 ft | Easy |
| Beartown Mountain | 28 mi | ~37 min | 2.4 mi | 227 ft | 1 hr | 5,492 ft | Easy |
| Beech Mountain | 30 mi | ~40 min | 3.4 mi | 692 ft | 1.5 hr | 4,964 ft | Moderate |
| Bluff Mountain | 31 mi | ~41 min | 6.6 mi | 1,000 ft | 2.5 hr | 4,856 ft | Hard |
| Buzzard Rock | 31 mi | ~41 min | 3.4 mi | 692 ft | 1.5 hr | 5,095 ft | Moderate |
| Whitetop Mountain | 31 mi | ~41 min | 3.4 mi | 692 ft | 1.5 hr | 5,525 ft | Moderate |
| Mount Rogers | 31 mi | ~42 min | 1 mi | 213 ft | 0.5 hr | 5,722 ft | Easy |
| Stone Mountain | 32 mi | ~43 min | 6 mi | 496 ft | 2 hr | 4,931 ft | Moderate |
| First Peak | 33 mi | ~44 min | 6 mi | 496 ft | 2 hr | 4,610 ft | Moderate |
Distance, gain and time are as recorded in each trail's own data and are estimates — confirm conditions and route length with the Forest Service, the Blue Ridge Parkway or a current trail report before you go. Drive times are straight-line estimates and run low on mountain roads. Trails that share a route record show identical miles and gain.
Steady climbs to balds and ridgelines, mostly half-day outings
Steep, sustained climbs — start early and carry the essentials
Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountain crest — long days with a long drive, so allow extra time
Sorted by distance from Boone
