The Seasonal Guides
Four seasons, one mountain range
The High Country does not have an off season. Winter brings the highest ski slopes in the eastern US, summer brings cool air and concerts, fall brings the best color in the South, and spring brings green and quiet. Here is when to come and what to do in each.
No. 01
Winter: ski season
The highest ski area in the eastern US, tubing, snowshoeing, and long cabin evenings. Beech and Sugar Mountain are the show.
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No. 02
Summer: cool air
Temperatures that rarely top the upper 70s, concerts at the base of the ski slope, and miles of singletrack at the Emerald Outback.
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No. 03
Fall: peak color
Foliage peaks in mid-October, the Woolly Worm Festival takes over Banner Elk, and the parkway turns gold.
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No. 04
Spring: green-up
Wildflowers, waterfalls running full, and the quiet weeks before the summer crowds. The mountains wake up slowly.
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Any season works from Beech Mountain
The Heart of Beech Retreat sits at 5,000 feet, so winter arrives early, summer stays cool, and fall color comes right to the porch. Book your dates and we will help you plan the week.