Grandfather Mountain

Grandfather Mountain is a mountain, a non-profit attraction, and a North Carolinastate park near Linville, North Carolina. At 5,946 feet (1,812 m), it is the highest peak on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, one of the major chains of the Appalachian Mountains, as well as the highest point on the Eastern Continental Divide. (There are many taller peaks nearby, including Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River, but they are fully west of the divide.) The Blue Ridge Parkway passes by the south side of the mountain and also passes over the nearby Grandmother Gap. It is located at the meeting point of Avery, Caldwell (highest point), and Watauga (highest point) counties. Most of the mountain is contained within Grandfather Mountain State Park, while a small privately owned section in the southeast is operated as a ticketed tourist attraction, containing the well-known Mile-High Swinging Bridge.