December 19, 2024.
8.9 miles | 1665′ ele. gain | 5:15 hr. | Stone Mt Loop Tr > Wolf Rock Tr > Cedar Rock Tr back to loop
After looking at the photos of this massive granite dome online, I was determined to visit Stone Mountain State Park while we were in North Carolina. I reserved a spot in the non-electric campground online and we rolled in just before dusk, the only people staying there for the night.
In the morning we began our hike right from the campsite. The skies were overcast and it felt cool outside, perfect for hiking. Soon, we reached the Upper Trailhead parking lot and began the ascent up Stone Mountain. The scenic trail took us across undulating bedrock with beautiful views across the valley. As I looked ahead at the Stone Mountain massif, I noticed the colorful stripes running down the rock looked remarkably like a UPC code. I imagined a gigantic grocery store scanner sending a laser across the rock face. My mind does wander when I’m on a hike.
In no time at all, we reached the summit sign at 2,305′. Not the highest mountain on the East coast, but not too bad. We scrambled around a bit on the exposed rock. There was so much to see. The views were great, of course, but my eyes were also drawn to the eroded pockets on the rock surface, the hardy plants clinging to life, the subtle patterns of color and texture along the ground. We explored on our own for a few minutes before returning to the trail.
We followed the bright orange blazes and hand rails drilled into the steep rock. The railings were especially handy near the wet sections of rock. Fear filled the faces of some folks who were on the way up. It’s not a hike for the faint of heart!
I couldn’t believe how enjoyable an interesting this trail was! Fear to one is excitement to another and I was firmly on the side of excitement. We happily rambled along the bedrock until the trail put us back in the woods. We hiked down towards the other trailhead, then picked up the Wolf Rock Trail and began hiking back uphill. The true summit of Wolf Rock is slightly off trail, so we found a spot nearby that provided easy-ish bushwhacking to the top and a nice spot for a Aaron to sit and wait for me. He does not always want to follow along on the more obscure and inane summit adventures. Besides, it was only about a 10 minute detour to reach a non-descript bump in the trees.
After that quick jaunt, we continued along to find a nice viewpoint of Stone Mountain on the northeast face of Wolf Rock. We found a lovely place to sit where I could paint this beautiful mountain. I raced the sun to finish my two-page spread. Once the shadow creeped across our sitting rock, my hands began to get cold and I called it good enough. It was time to go.
We returned to the Stone Mountain Loop, taking a brief detour to visit the Hutchinson Homestead. There we met a couple other hikers who shared how much they love coming to this park during its various seasons. It does seem like the kind of place that would offer a dramatically unique experience at different times of year.
The remainder of the hike traveled through a beautiful forest filled with birdsong: eastern bluebird, Carolina wren, brown-headed nuthatch and more. And there was still one more point of interest before heading back to camp: Stone Mountain Falls.
We took a trail to the bottom of the falls and sat there for a few moments, enjoying the sight and the sound of the gently cascading water. Then we climbed the steep stairway to the top of the falls. There were fences and signs everywhere warning people to steer clear of the edges. This place must be a circus in the summer! But on this day, there were just a few people milling about, enjoying the views from the trail.
Stone Mountain State Park provides an easy way to view a pretty spectacular mountain from the bottom, the top or an adjacent hillside. I would love to see this place covered in spring wildflowers or full of autumn leaves. But it is still absolutely worth a visit off peak season, as long as you dress for the weather!