With a peak elevation more than 5,000-feet high, Sugar Mountain is home to a microclimate unique within its North Carolina surroundings. In winter months, skiers don’t think twice about how to reach the top: They hop aboard Sugar Mountain Resort’s Summit Express chairlift and ride to the summit. In the summer, the experience transforms — without skis or bulky winter gear, vacationers enjoy a light and breezy ascent toward blue skies and lush mountaintops.

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This is summer in Sugar Mountain: mile-high adventures in a temperate climate. “When it’s hot down in the Piedmont, we still have nice temperatures up here,” Mark Russ says, who manages High Mountain Expeditions’ whitewater rafting trips along the Watauga River. “It’s a magical place; once it gets ahold of you, you just love it.”

Cradled by refreshing weather and panoramic views, visitors seize the summer season for outdoor activities. Here are six not to miss:

Summer’s answer to winter’s slopes? The Downhill Mountain Bike Park at Sugar Mountain Resort. When it opens Memorial Day weekend, the expert terrain invites mountain bikers to take advantage of features ranging from rollers and small dips to table tops.

You don’t have to be an experienced mountain biker to get in on the rush. In a one-hour lesson, instructors will impart the basics on how to control your bike through body positioning, cornering, and braking. They’ll also show you the ins and outs of the lift service and how to navigate the park using the trail signage. For mountain bike, helmet, and knee pad rentals, stop by the base lodge.

At the Wilderness Run Alpine Center, look up for a sky-high escapade. Like a roller coaster but divided into individual “sleds,” the Alpine Coaster lets you glide solo or with a child along a 3,160-foot track, complete with three loops, twists, and turns. The ride lasts a thrilling three to five minutes; you control the speed, but the sleds can reach up to 27 miles per hour.

The High Mountain Expeditions bus leaves from its Banner Elk Outpost around 11:30 a.m. After a relaxing 45-minute ride to its destination up the Watauga River, passengers enjoy a riverside picnic before hopping aboard their rafts for an easy whitewater adventure.

“When you come out of the gorge itself, there’s one primary rapid, Anaconda, and then it opens up into a pastoral-type farmland setting,” Russ says. “These trips are geared toward families and kids — we’ve had children as young as three and adults as old as 90. It’s just a great way to spend the day on the river.”

For rafters who appreciate a bit more drama, Russ recommends the Nolichucky River trip, which also departs from the Banner Elk Outpost. “We like to leave early in the morning so we’re the first ones on the river,” he says. “The Nolichucky cuts through a beautiful gorge — one of the deepest east of the Rocky Mountains. You can only access the gorge through the river itself, so you’re experiencing untouched nature.”

As rafters paddle from North Carolina into Tennessee, they experience class III and IV rapids, passing rocky cliffs, sandy beaches, and “all kinds of wildlife,” Russ says. “Depending on the time of day, you’ll see eagles coming back into the gorge. We’ve seen deer, osprey, even bears. And, of course, salamanders, frogs, and fish — stuff I take for granted because I’m so used to seeing it!”

Grandfather Mountain’s Mildred’s Grill, housed inside the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery, is your one-stop-shop for the picnic of a lifetime. Here, you can pick up sandwiches, wraps, salads, or their famous Mile-High Burger, and take it to one of the 100-plus picnic tables strategically positioned throughout the preserve.

If you prefer your lunch with a side of air conditioning, enjoy your meal in the scenic cafeteria with floor-to-ceiling picture windows; then grab a slice of homemade fudge and take it out to the deck for a post-lunch birdwatching session.

Even if you dine indoors, take time to explore the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery. Comprised of 16 natural communities, Grandfather Mountain is home to a tremendous variety of flora and fauna that are able to live and thrive here — all for distinct reasons. Exhibits within the Wilson Center explain why, but one favorite is the interactive 3-D map, which uses touchscreens and projection mapping to show the animals that inhabit different elevations.

For the last 28 years, Bill Daniels has greeted each day at the Sugar Mountain Public Golf Course, where he works as the superintendent. “I love getting up every morning and seeing the sunrise over this property. The beauty of it is second to none,” he says. “Some people wake up and dread going to work — I do not.”

North Carolina’s only par-64 public course, Sugar Mountain is a little shorter than the typical par-72 golf course. “We’re a valley course, even though we’re still at about 4,100 feet in elevation, so we have very scenic views of Grandfather Mountain from several of our holes — and you can see the peak of Sugar Mountain and Beech Mountain in the distance,” he says. “When people come and play here, they find that our course is just as well maintained as those private clubs in our area.”

Although Hurricane Helene caused damage to the golf course last fall, eight of the 18 holes are currently open for play, and there are plans to open the full 18 later this summer.

And those who prefer a different sort of swing can serve some competition at one of the six clay tennis courts next door to the course.

Sugar Mountain’s summer programs kick off Memorial Day weekend with Dark Horse Band performing at the Grillin’ & Chillin’ Summer Concert Series. The weekly concert series takes place at Sugar Mountain’s Golf and Tennis Club House Deck, where attendees can listen to live music while taking in panoramic views of the golf course and surrounding mountains.

For peak summertime fun, Sugar Mountain is a destination for the Fourth of July. During the day, join in the annual Summit Crawl, where go-getters hike from Sugar Mountain Base Lodge to the 5,300-foot peak. Whether you take the Easy Street, Gunther’s Way, or Northridge ski slopes, the 1.2-mile route makes a steep elevation climb. Participation is capped at 400 people, so register online in advance.

After the sun sets, an explosive fireworks show fills the sky starting around 9 p.m., and you can get a view like none other from your seat on the Summer Express chairlift, which runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Or, a more traditional viewing experience is available at the Base Lodge, and you can enjoy the pre-fireworks live music on the deck from 6 to 9 p.m.

How will you enjoy summer in a mile-high setting? Whether you navigate the Nolichucky River or savor the views from the ski lift, the season’s best fun awaits in Sugar Mountain’s outdoors. Click here to start planning your visit.

The NC High Country is open and ready to welcome you back. From signature events to charming downtowns and scenic mountain views, there’s so much to enjoy. Come on up! visitnchighcountry.com