The Blue Ridge Mountains North Carolina hiking trails are largely all Dog Friendly. There are a few that aren't, so always double check before hitting the trails with your dog. Over the last several years, our favorite place to explore dog friendly hiking trails in the Blue Ridge Mountains, NC has been Blowing Rock.
Blowing Rock NC is super dog friendly! All the hiking trails we've explored have been dog friendly, and there are some great restaurants and breweries with outdoor patios that are also dog friendly. Both our dog and we have just loved being there!
IS THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY STILL CLOSED?
You're probably wondering if the blue ridge parkway is still closed since hurricane Helene caused severe damage to the area in 2024. Yes, portions of the Blue Ridge Parkway are closed for repairs. As the repairs and upgrades move along the parkway, closures and detours change frequently. Search online for specific hiking trails closures and detours.
One of our favorite trails, the Boone Fork Trail, had quite a bit of storm damage. In August 2026 it was closed. I've heard it reopened end of August 2026 but I'm having a hard time confirming that! The Boone Fork Trail is technically in the town of Blowing Rock, but folks often refer to it as a hiking trail "near Boone" since the two towns are next to each other.
The towns of Blowing Rock, Boone, and Banner Elk are all open and looking great! Although some establishments closed in the last two years, there are lots of charming shops, restaurants, and breweries eagerly awaiting tourists so don't be afraid to head out there!
We normally visit the NC Blue Ridge Mountains every Summer since 2024, but Fall in the North Carolina mountains is also a fabulous time to hike the trails. The Fall foliage is gorgeous and the weather is cool and crisp. It's a great Fall vacation or getaway with your dog!
DOG FRIENDLY HIKING TRAILS IN BLOWING ROCK, NC
If you want to know some good hiking trails in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I'll share my favorite dog friendly hiking trails with you here.
One of my very favorite trails to hike with dogs in the North Carolina mountains is the Boone Fork Trail. This trail starts off super easy as it meanders along the river. The 5.5 mile loop trail gets progressively more challenging as you go along. After a few miles, you'll encounter rocky streams to walk across, and there's even a stretch of trail where you need to climb a ladder to continue the trail!
We've never done the full loop because we were always with our dogs and that ladder section is way too tragic for us to attempt with a dog in tow!
One of the great things about the Blowing Rock/Boone area is that there are so many places to hike at varying levels. You'll find trails that are mainly walking trails and trails that are quite challenging. On this last trip we hiked at all levels!
Two of the easiest hiking trails were;
The Bass Lake trail is just outside the town of Blowing Rock on US 221. It's an easy .9 mile loop around the lake. There are a couple of off-shoots on this lake trail. One of them is the Apple Barn trail, which takes you to an old apple barn, now a historic landmark. It had been used to store apples following the harvest. It's quite large and pretty cool to see, but I must warn you the pathway to it is very steep and just over a half mile off the Bass Lake trail.
The Boone Greenway Trail in the town of Boone. This is an easy scenic trail with mild terrain, much of which is paved. In total it covers about 3 to 5 miles around. There are a few more challenging off-shoots, but most of it is easier walking.
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| Me and Jessie on the Boon Greenway trail |
Two of the more challenging hikes we went on were;
The Price Lake trail is a hiking trail that loops around Price Lake on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I thought it was going to be a super easy trail - a fluff trail actually. But boy was I surprised! It weaves around the lake and has lots of varied terrain like this rock Jessie is perched on. But it's a great trail, fun and a little challenging.
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| Jessie perched on a large rock on the Price Lake hiking trail |
The Glen Burney trail is right in the town of Blowing Rock. It's weird to see a trail starting just steps from a town parking lot! This trail descends down and passes three waterfalls. It is quite steep and considered a more strenuous trail. The hike down is somewhat challenging but it's not nearly as challenging as getting back up! Being that it was Summer and the water levels were quite low, the falls weren't flowing much so it wasn't as impressive as it probably is in late Spring when the water level is high. But it's very pretty and we enjoyed it.
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| Me and Jessie on the Glen Burney hiking trail |
Here are two videos taken from our trip which give you a great idea of what some of the hiking trails were like:
Learn more about these and other trails as well as more things there are to do in Boone, Blowing Rock and surrounding areas on the Explore Boone website.
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