Grand Mountain is located near Linville, North Carolina. It is situated at the crossroads of Avery, Watauga, and Caldwell counties. It stands 1,818 meters or 5,946 tall, making it one of the highest apexes in the eastern part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which is part of the Appalachian peaks. The beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway traverses through this lovely mountain.
Grandfather Mountain, a tourist attraction and nature preserver, was under private ownership until 2008 when it became one of North Carolina's state parks. The government purchased the mountain for $12 million from the owners – the Morton family. It is now the 34th state park. It was formally named the Grandfather Mountain State Park in 2009.
The mountain's rife or massif has four peaks, namely the Linville Peak, MacRae Peak, Attic Window Peak, and Calloway Peak. There are two rivers, which can be found near the mountain - Linville River and Watauga River. Streams such as the Stack Rock Creek, Wilson Creek, and Upper Boone Fork can also be found near the Grandfather Mountain.
One of its famous attractions is the swinging bridge, a mile-high bridge, created by Hugh Morton in 1952. He inherited this mountain from his grandfather, and managed to develop fabulous sites that drew visitors. When he died in 2006, he donated Grandfather mountain memorabilia to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The swinging bridge, which is the highest in America, got its name from the way it swings when winds gush by.