I hiked this trail on Tuesday, June 25th, 2022 with my girlfriend. Despite forecasts of thunderstorms and rain, we decided to give this hike a go. The sky around the area had been predominantly clear, and to the point in the day when we started (around 1 PM) the weathermen had been nothing but wrong.

We started the trail in the Profile Parking Area and began the hike. The first several miles of trail were fairly flat and pretty well tamped down by the numerous people which attempt this trail each year.

After a little bit of hiking, you come upon Foscoe View, and then Profile View.

Around this time, the trail starts to become a little rougher and steeper. The trail is the toughest, however, for the mile or so before the intersection with Grandfather Mountain's trail system.

Around the time we reached that intersection, the skies grew darker and mist descended on the mountain. It began to rain some; mostly, it was a drizzle, though there were brief periods where it was a fuller rain. It never reached deluge levels, though; after some time sheltering from the rain under a pine grove, the rain mostly abated and we decided to finish. Even if there would be no views because of the fog, we had been talking about this hike for a while.

After a bit more hiking, we reached Watauga View

After that, we got to the fun part: the ladders!

Finally, we reached the peak.

For a map of the trail click here.