Rugged hike from Profile Trail parking area to Calloway Peak at Grandfather Mountain State Park.This is from one of the two "free" trailheads (it costs $15 per person to drive to the top and hike the summit trails) -- note that if you think you're going to save $15 and hike all the summit trails too, you'd better be in extremely good physical condition (like a triathlete or something) ... the trails up there are extremely rugged and the going is very slow. Trip writeup at Two-Heel Drive.

The first two miles of this hike are all uphill but not terribly difficult -- but the last mile and a half has lots of boulders in the trail, and the final ascent to Calloway Peak has three short ladders. If you follow this trail all the way to the end, it joins the terminus of the Boy Scout Trail, which ascends from the Blue Ridge Parkway on the east side of Grandfather Mountain. It's typically extremely windy at the top, so it's handy to have a windbreaker even on the hottest days. Also a good idea to bring rain gear in case the weather changes rapidly, which happens a lot.