Hanging Rock State Park

To contact us Click HERE


Hanging Rock State Park – 11/10/12 – 7.5 Miles
A week home from Haiti, I was feeling antsy to get outon a trail and planned a hike at Pilot Mountain State Park.  Jim asked to join me, a bit of a surprisesince Saturday mornings are his prime cycling time, but I guess he missed me,eh?  A little glitch…on Thursday thestate park folks tried a little prescribed burn in Pilot Mountain SP and it gotout of control, so the park was closed down while the fire people did theirwork.  So what’s the next bestthing?  Hanging Rock State Park.
I’ve hiked through part of Hanging Rock SP previously – it’sone of the pearls of NC that the string of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail passesthrough – but I’d never climbed its signature point, Hanging Rock.  Jim and I chose the route in Danny Bernstein’sbook, “Hiking North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Heritage,” that includes HangingRock, Wolf Rock, House Rock and Cook’s Wall, all massive rock outcroppings fromwhich to gaze out at the North Carolina Piedmont.  Hanging Rock SP is part of the SauratownMountains.
I could take up space paraphrasing about the history of the park but their website is the best source for information:  “Many facilities in the park were constructedby the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) between 1935 and 1942. A concrete andearthen dam completed in 1938 impounded a 12-acre lake, and a stone bathhouse,diving tower and sandy beach also were built. Other facilities constructed bythe CCC include a park road and parking area, a picnic area and shelter, andhiking trails. In 1991, the bathhouse was added to the National Register ofHistoric Places.”  Admission is free(like most of NC’s state parks) and it is one of only two state parks that hascabins for rent (the other is Morrow Mountain SP). 
From the impressive visitor center Jim and I followedHanging Rock Trail, very wide and heavily used. I was a staunch critic of the stone work given my (scant hours of)experience on the Smokies Trails Forever crew a month ago. 
A glimpse of Hanging Rock through the trees.  Why is it so hazy and why is my throat sodry?
And thar she blows. How will we get up there?  Thetrail winds around to the back side, of course.
Looking at Moore’s Knob, another awesome viewpoint in thepark – and the smoky haze is due to the fire over at Pilot Mountain SP, stillnot contained.
Our perch on Hanging Rock. This is an easy to moderate hike, less than 1.5 miles from the parking lotto the summit.  A thrilling spot forminimal effort.  Lots of other visitorstoday so it was easy to get a dramatic photo.
We backtracked down Hanging Rock Trail and turned left onto WolfRock Loop Trail.  From here it’s an easystroll through pines and some hardwoods to Wolf Rock.  Along the way we investigated a couple ofside paths to smaller rock outcroppings. 
More haze from Wolf Rock
Great signage every- where, but always carry your park map too.  Now we headed toward Cook’s Wall, checkingout House Rock along the way.
Looking at Hanging Rock from House Rock.  I was surprised that there were only twoother people at this expansive rock outcropping on this lovely Saturday, butthen again, it does take a little more effort to get there (on the way to Cook’sWall).  It is not part of a loop and thetrail dead ends at Cook’s Wall.  You haveto want to go here.  Have you noticedthat most people don’t venture very far from the parking lot? 
Next stop, Cook’s Wall, an incredible rock face to stand on.  There was a college age fellow parked therewith his lawn chair and his lunch and he talked incessantly to everyone thatwalked up.  Apparently he had camped inthe park and set up court for the day at Cook’s Wall.  I had to walk away after a couple of minuteswhen I realized that he was not going to stop sharing his voluminousinformation.  I mean, I like chattingwith hikers, but he had a monologue going. Jim and I found a space (almost) out of earshot to sit and enjoy theview.
View from Cook’s Wall
Looking at Pilot Mountain – white smoke on the horizon.  Before it was brought under control the fireconsumed 625 acres.



Jim and I backtracked to Wolf Rock Loop Trail and turned leftfor our descent.  Here the map isnecessary to decipher the way back to the visitor center main parking lot, asthe trail runs concurrently with part of the Chestnut Oak Nature Trail andskirts alongside pavement.  Altogether wehiked 7.5 miles.  A nice way to spend aSaturday with my favorite fella.
“It is easier to go down a hillthan up, but the view is best from the top.”  ~Arnold Bennett