Seasonal Guide · Summer
Summer: cool air and mountain music
On Beech Mountain, the highest town in eastern America, summer temperatures rarely top the upper 70s. That makes it the season for concerts at the base of the ski slope, miles of singletrack, scenic chairlift rides, and long, cool evenings on the porch.
No. 01 · Concerts
Music at 5,506 feet
The Beech Mountain Resort Summer Concert Series runs June through August at the base of the ski slope, with past headliners including Jason Isbell, The Red Clay Strays, Lake Street Dive, and Charley Crockett. All ages, with food trucks, local vendors, and the brewery taproom on site.
For a free night out, Live Music at 5,506' plays every Saturday from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the top of the scenic chairlift, and the Food Truck Rodeo at 5,506' shows up through the season.
Resort events calendarNo. 02 · Ride & Hike
The mountain bike season
The Emerald Outback, the town's roughly seven-mile trail network near the summit, is free and open all summer for mountain biking, hiking, trail running, and e-bikes, with trails from green to double black. Sugar Mountain runs its downhill bike park and scenic Summit Express chairlift rides to the 5,300-foot peak.
When you want to go easy, the parkway is the place: the Price Lake loop, the carriage roads at Moses Cone, and the boardwalk views at Rough Ridge are all free and dog-friendly.
Emerald Outback trails
No. 03 · Easy Days
The slow summer list
- Scenic chairlift rides at Beech and Sugar for the views without the climb.
- Disc golf at Beech Mountain Resort.
- Free lake loops at Price Lake and the Moses Cone carriage roads, dogs welcome.
- Locals Day Thursdays: half-price summer activity tickets for residents of Avery, Watauga, and neighboring counties.
- Porch evenings: the sun goes down, the air drops 15 degrees, and nobody wants to leave.
Escape the Heat
Sleep cool at 5,000 feet
The Heart of Beech Retreat is minutes from the concerts, the trails, and the coolest air in the Southeast.