Grandfather Mountain – a trek along North Carolina’s rugged peaks with cables, ladders, and scenic vistas

vs.

Old Rag – a highly popular adventurous hike in the Shenandoah’s with significant rock scrambling and epic views

As I planned a spring road trip down into the Carolinas, I scoped out some potential places to hike and/or backpack. While I had visited the area years ago, I had yet to experience the fullness of Grandfather Mountain State Park, so I readily added it to my proposed itinerary. Some cursory research revealed a pretty rigorous hike that went up and down along its neighboring peaks. This hike, Grandfather Mountain/Daniel Boone, looked like a fabulous adventure, and online descriptors mentioned it was the “Old Rag of North Carolina.” I had hiked Old Rag multiple times in various seasons, so I felt pretty confident that its North Carolina counterpart wouldn’t be too tough for me to tackle.

My conclusion: Grandfather Mountain puts Old Rag to shame*.

*Full disclosure – I chose to backpack Grandfather Mountain, so I did carry extra weight than I would during a day trip in Old Rag. That being said, splitting the hike into two days should have made it easier, right?

1. Mile for Mile

Old Rag is a solid 9 miles. The internet seems to agree that the total hike falls somewhere between 9.0 and 9.3. Grandfather Mountain, on the other hand? All Trails claims that it’s 13.3, while Hiking Upwards states 11.7. That’s a significant difference! Even the State Park site doesn’t mention specifics regarding this particular link-up. Regardless the exact mileage, Grandfather Mountain has Old Rag beat by at least 3 miles.

2. Elevation Gain

The Old Rag hike gains about 2,600 feet of elevation. That’s no joke! At first glance, it might appear as if Grandfather Mountain has a similar elevation gain, but you have to calculate the up-and-down of the various peaks, topping out at a whopping 3,600 feet. Additionally, Grandfather Mountain is at a higher elevation than Old Rag, making the air that much thinner for those of us adjusted to sea-level oxygen.

3. Hands-and-feet

Both these hikes involve using more than just your feet; Old Rag is a scrambler’s paradise whereas Grandfather Mountain contains cables, ladders, and… yep, scrambling. I lost count of how many ladders I went up (and down). The cables were helpful during particularly slick sections, but sometimes it was easier to bypass them. In the end, the palms of my hands were just the right amount of raw from stabilizing myself all day.

4. Mental Component

Old Rag contains a lot of thoughtful moments wherein hikers must make decisions regarding how to approach a particularly tricky situation. Grandfather Mountain contained less choose-your-own-adventure moments, but required a sustained amount of mental fortitude that I wasn’t expecting. At Old Rag, there are times where you can zone out and just hike without considering your own safety or comfort (think: Fire Road). I felt that, on Grandfather Mountain, I was constantly in a state of vigilance, or at least for two-thirds of the hike. I couldn’t let my guard down because the consequences would be severe. Going backwards down a 20-foot ladder takes some concentration. Crab-walking downhill for 20 yards is taxing on your brain.

5. Circuit vs Out-and-Back

Speaking of the mental component, Old Rag is a circuit trail whereas Grandfather Mountain is an out-and-back. This means that every time I got to a particular tricky section on Grandfather, I thought, “Hmmm, wonder what it will be like to do that in reverse?” There was the understanding that I would be going back up the downhills and down the uphill sections. I typically prefer circuit hikes, so Old Rag takes the edge on this one!

6. Views

This one’s tough. Old Rag has the Shenandoah’s to gaze upon whereas Grandfather Mountain has it’s own Blue Ridge peaks, both rugged and foliage-covered. Old Rag has more consistent views near the top of the peak due to the exposure, whereas Grandfather Mountain’s vistas come throughout the hike.

7. Fun Factor

The ladders on the Grandfather Mountain trail were fun for the first 12 times. As my physical weariness wore on, I started to inwardly moan when I encountered another one. Another fun factor for me as a hiker is the solitude component. Old Rag can be ridiculously busy, a phenomenon that the park is trying to remedy with the ticket program. Grandfather Mountain was not busy at all, although I did encounter a handful of people along certain sections of the trail. Backpacking Grandfather Mountain added a fun element, (but also made everything feel more challenging.)

 

Although I declare Grandfather Mountain the winner in terms of the challenge, Old Rag is must-do trek!

As I reflect upon the past two-days, my legs are throbbing, my triceps are sore (ladders?), and I’m polishing off a gigantic plate of nachos to re-fuel and load up on some much-needed sodium.

All in all, both are fantastic adventures that I’m happy to have checked off my bucket list.