Manor House craft shop, bookstore. Nearby stables on US 221 between the Parkway and Blowing Rock rent horses by the hour or day. Park is open year-round. Easy to moderate. No blazes but most are signed at trailheads and junctions.
Trail floors range from cinders and crushed gravel to sometimes-muddy forest floor.
Benches can be found along some routes. They plan to open a larger retail store near the Asheville area, but for now, they have dived into the world of the 'net. They are a very nice young couple. Most of their tent prices are lower than most other online stores that I've shopped. The Black Mountains' Initiative - A photo documentary of North Carolina's Black and Great Craggy Mountains.