ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — While the Grove Park Inn is best known for its annual gingerbread competition and sterling mountain views, it also features a charming little trail into the nearby woods. The Sunset Trail is under a mile long and accessible from many of the Grove Park parking lots, making it the perfect pick for any hikers trying to walk off some holiday cheer.
Fast facts
- The access point for The Sunset Trail is close to the entrance of the Grove Park: Look for the large green sign
- It costs money to park in Grove Park lots, so including The Sunset Trail on a pre-planned visit to the hotel is the best bang for your buck
- While The Sunset Trail is easily accessible and features clear signage along the way, the trail is surprisingly rustic, with a narrow footpath and uneven roots in places
- The trail is about .7 miles in total
Outdoors at the Grove Park Inn
While The Sunset Trail is far from the most strenuous or view-packed hike around town, it might be the most charming. The little trail weaves away from the Grove Park doors along a sloping, ivy-gnarled dirt trail with Grove Park-font signage giving bear warnings and directions.
A brief walk uphill will take hikers into the woods, where they are invited to choose between two loops. The righthand loop features two rough-hewn stone bridges criss-crossing a shallow creek. The bridges are almost medieval-looking, with sharp, pointed rocks adorning their mossy railings.
Nearby signage names them the Stacked Bridges. According to the plaque, the bridges are constructed from the same type of stones used to build the walls of the Grove Park in 1913.
“Each stone was collected from the surrounding mountains and delivered to the construction site by way of mules and by wagon train, which was led by one of E.W. Grove’s three Packard trucks,” the sign read.
After the bridges, the loop is quickly completed, sloping up the trail and back down again to the loop split. Hikers are encouraged to complete both before walking back to the Grove Park.
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