Bakers Mountain Park

You know those mornings – yeah, the ones where you wake up to a beautiful sunny day and think to yourself, “I need to take advantage of this, get out, go somewhere, do something, anything….”

That’s what happened this past Thursday. After thunderstorms, lightning, rain, wind, and cloudy overcast days, the sun’s rays shining through the windows in the early morning couldn’t be ignored. No siree!

Bakers Mountain Park (toward lookout with gazebo)

After getting a later start than anticipated, we drove to Bakers Mountain Park to hike one of the trails, enjoy the outdoors, commune with nature, and get some exercise. Oh, and of course, we took Marley. He loves to go for walks, unless, of course, it’s like a 3-mile hike through the wilderness, and then, maybe, not so much.

Bakers Mountain Park (Gazebo near the top)

Located at the highest elevation point in the county (1,780 feet), this 189-acre Bakers Mountain Park offers nearly 5 miles of easy-to-advanced trails that are a haven for hikers and are often used as a training ground for tackling the nearby Appalachian Trail. The park’s trail system ascends over creeks and through mature Chestnut Oak Forest to a mountaintop observation deck with stunning year-round views.

Okay, just to be clear – we’re not training for the Appalachian Trail. Oh, how I would love to one day say, “I hiked that trail over the course of time,” but in all actuality, it’s not likely that will ever happen.

As it was, the 3-mile trail we hiked on Bakers Mountain Park was rated as moderate, and that, my friend, was about all this body could handle. I don’t know what is worse: the downhill, toes pressed against the toes of my shoes and the workout for my calves, or the uphill, dragging my sorry behind up a steep grade.

But overall, I would do it again because the workout feels great and walking on the treadmill just doesn’t compare. I have many aspirations but no grit to back that up. But it doesn’t mean it’s all or nothing.

For other interesting hikes, see our Blowing Rock Day trip.

And the view from the top – stunning, making this adventure well worth the effort. And to reward ourselves for a job well done – ahem, we headed to Daveste Winery for a repast with a glass of wine on their lovely patio.