The Blue Ridge Mountain
of North Carolina
Banner Elk & Avery County in the North Carolina Mountains
Welcome to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and Avery County, fun central for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and persuasions. Here we profile our town of Banner Elk in the heart of the North Carolina Mountains, where no matter what the time of year - winter, spring, summer or fall - there are tons of ways to enjoy the great outdoors all year round! Banner Elk North Carolina, the hub for Blue Ridge Mountain range outdoor recreation.
Banner Elk is Ski Central for the best skiing and snowboarding in the North Carolina Mountains. Ski the Blue Ridge Mountains at their highest peaks! Beech Mountain Resort, Sugar Mountain Ski Resort, and Hawksnest Ski Resort offer some of the best snow skiing and snowboarding in the southeast U.S.
For summer fun, enjoy the mild weather as you golf your way through the North Carolina mountains, or explore the numerous hiking trails around the Blue Ridge Parkway and Grandfather Mountain. Experience the incredible autumn views, spring wildflowers, and the peaceful retreats typical of the mountains of North Carolina. Day trips abound, from guided fly fishing tours, to white water rafting excursions for the more adventuresome.
Banner Elk is at the center of all this and more, with spectacular North Carolina mountain scenery everywhere you look! We will show you in this site our beautiful piece of the earth, traveling to the quaint and unique villages that surround Banner Elk. Blue Ridge mountain rentals and retreats at Valle Crucis, Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain and more! Catch a trout in Foscoe, and discover the highest peak in the Blue Ridge Mountain range – the majestic Grandfather Mountain.
Join us as we take a tour of our roots - the heart of the beautiful Blue
Ridge Mountains of North Carolina!
Banner Elk: Playground of the Blue Ridge Mountains
The Legend of Banner's Elk
In the year of 1840, Martin Luther Banner - a man of Welch descent - first saw the area now known as Banner Elk in the valley of Elk Creek in the heart of the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina. He was just passing through on the way to Nashville when he was taken aback by the natural beauty of the North Carolina mountains, and decided right then and there he would return. He did return with his family around 1845, and about a year later they moved across Sugar Mountain Gap, cleared a small field and built a cabin about where Lees-McRae College now stands.
Martin Luther established the first permanent settlement in 1848, and eventually the Banner family grew to 55 members. The area where they lived became known as "Banner’s Elk" - deep in the mountains of North Carolina, a name you can still hear from some of the older local folk.
Rumor has it that the town was named after an elk- one of the last in
the region- that was shot and et, allegedly by one of those 55
Banner kids!
Banner Elk NC- a quaint bustling mountain town in the center of the Blue Ridge Mountains highest peaks. Here you find fine and casual dining, shopping, whitewater rafting, Banner Elk Stables, North Carolina ski resort, Golf resorts, and high country accommodations, rentals, and real estate.
Sugar Mountain North Carolina is one of the top golf resorts in the North Carolina Mountains in the summer, and in the winter has the highest vertical rise of the North Carolina ski slopes. Mountain bike trails, golf and tennis, scenic chair lift rides, snow skiing, snowboarding and tubing are all here at Sugar Mountain Ski Resort.
Beech Mountain North Carolina, a four seasons resort, is the highest city in the Blue Ridge Mountains. There are plenty of Blue Ridge mountain rentals for all year round. Hiking trails, mountain bike trails, and Fred's General Mercantile are just some of the attractions at this North Carolina Mountain resort.
Seven Devils and Hawksnest Ski
Resort has one of the prettiest ski slopes in the North Carolina mountains.
With plenty of rental cabins and vacation
home rentals, Seven Devils and Hawksnest is a four season mountain resort, offering
snowboarding, skiing, and scenic views of the Blue Ridge mountains .
Grandfather Mountain, highest peak in the Blue Ridge Mountains, offers hiking trails, a mile high swinging bridge, examples of native animals in their natural habitat, and a nature museum. Every July Grandfather is host to the Highland Games, and the gathering of Scottish Clans in the mountains of North Carolina. Just off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Linville Falls.
Valle Crucis is laid back mountain life. The Mast General Store is the village gathering place - the valley offers Blue Ridge mountain retreats, rental cabins, bed and breakfast , high country inns, horseback riding, hiking, fishing and camping, and several sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Foscoe on the Watauga lies in the shadows of Grandfather in the North Carolina Mountains, and on the banks of the Watauga River. The Greater Foscoe Mining Co. and Grandfather Mountain Trout Farm are just some of the attractions. Fly fishing guides, lessons and trips - antique shops, country furniture, Appalachian gifts and crafts , and several art galleries are also located in Foscoe.
Enjoy all of this from the center of it all - Banner Elk in the North Carolina mountains - the cultural and recreational hub of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. We hope to see you soon in our favorite corner of the world, Banner Elk North Carolina!
Appalachian News Feeds
Appalachian State University NewsAppalachian State University Headlines
Regional economy grows, but slightly in WNC
by ASU News
10 Dec 2010 at 2:46pm
BOONE?Western North Carolina?s economy grew only 0.1 percent in October, and while the growth was slight, it marks the third consecutive monthly increase. The activity is measured in the Western North Carolina Economic Index compiled at Appalachian State University. The index tracks the level of economic activity in 25 western North Carolina counties. The growth takes [...]
Appalachian Cycling Team brings home championship in first Division I season
by ASU News
10 Dec 2010 at 2:42pm
BOONE ? The cycling team at Appalachian State University won the Atlantic Coast Cycling Conference’s cyclocross championships Nov. 13-14, its first championship as a Division 1 team.� Next, the team will compete in the USA Cycling Cyclocross Nationals in Bend, Ore., this weekend. Five men and three women will compete in the event Dec. 9-12., [...]
Appalachian receives nearly $4 million in gifts and commitments
by ASU News
10 Dec 2010 at 11:06am
BOONE?Nearly $4 million in gifts and commitments to Appalachian State University was announced during Friday?s meeting of the Board of Trustees. The university has received a $2.2 million gift of land from CWWW, a limited liability corporation (LLC) based in Boone, a $1.68 million commitment from the estate of Nancy Bivens McCrocklin of New Jersey and [...]
Incoming legislators visit Appalachian
by ASU News
8 Dec 2010 at 3:30pm
BOONE?Appalachian State University Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock gave this message to those newly elected to state office in North Carolina. ?We know the budget situation is tough,? he said. ?But what keeps me awake at night is whether I can maintain the quality of the academic programs offered by this institution during these economic times.? Incoming state [...]
December Commencement Information
by ASU News
8 Dec 2010 at 2:53pm
The December Commencement ceremonies will be held as scheduled Sunday, Dec. 12, and will be available via webcast at http://www.commencement.appstate.edu/.� Should weather conditions worsen, causing a change in commencement events, information will be updated on the university website (www.appstate.edu) and via telephone at 828-262-SNOW (7669). Though it is impossible to describe precisely the weather conditions that [...]
