Granite Quarry Overlook

Granite Quarry Overlook

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Parkway Milepost 202.8

Significance:

Expansive views, including glimpse of the largest granite quarry in the world

Amenities

3 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Scenic View/Photo Spot

Granite Quarry Overlook offers an expansive view of the foothills of the Blue Ridge, the piedmont and beyond. The overlook gets its name from the Mount Airy Granite Quarry, which you can glimpse in the distance. This quarry is the largest open face granite quarry in the world. Local lore says that on a clear day, the quarry can be seen from space! This black and white speckled rock put Mount Airy on the map long before Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry. This granite is widely used in construction of mausoleums, statues, buildings, and bridges. The operators of the quarry boast that they could mine the rock for another 500 years and still not reach the bottom. 

You will also notice the knob shaped mountain in the distance, this is Pilot Mountain. Known to Native Americans as Jomeokee Mountain, the mountain is located on the western end of the Sauratown Mountain range. This mountain range received its name from the “Sauras,” a Native America group that lived in the area pre-European contact.