A NC State Park for Hikers
Written: Sep 26 '09 (Updated Sep 26 '09)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Scenery: |
 |
|
| Crowds: |
|
|
| Time needed for visit: |
|
|
|
Pros: Great hiking trails, Beautiful granite bald (namesake), and Widow's Creek Falls.
Cons: The three well known waterfalls are bland at best, trails not marked the best.
The Bottom Line: I have found parts of this park that really excite me, but overall there are better to be found. Definitely worth the trip though.
|
|
|
| ncphototrekker's Full Review: Stone Mountain State Park |
Let me clear up a point of confusion about the name of the this park. Stone Mountain is also used to refer to a park in Georgia. This review is on the North Carolina park by the name Stone Mountain. Once in the park you will be able to figure out exactly why it has the name.
Located in Roaring Gap, NC, Stone Mountain is easily accessible from the central area of North Carolina, and makes for a reasonably good day trip, or weekend camping adventure. My review is going to be a little biased based on my reasons for going. I am a photographer and when I go places like this I am looking for subject matter for my camera. Waterfalls are a specific interest for me so that plays a large part in whether or not I enjoy a particular park.
Waterfalls...
Stone Mountain does have waterfalls...four of them to be exact. The main waterfall feature in the park is the Stone Mountain Falls. It is a very long waterslide that you can get right up on. For me waterslides are not great photographic subjects so this waterfall holds very little interest for me. However, for the size it can't be beat. There is a series of observation decks along a 350+ step wooden staircase that runs along the side of the falls. If you park in the first parking area you come to right past the deer observation pullout, you will have to go down and up these stairs to see the complete waterfall and continue on a hike. If you park at the main trailhead toward the rear of the park, you can bypass these stairs.
The Stone Mountain loop trail is listed as strenuous, and I think that is primarily because of the stairs. I've done the two-way climb three times now...and have no intention of ever doing it again. My knees just can't do it while carrying 40LBS of camera equipment. The good news is that the trail really does get good beyond the falls going towards the other main parking area. There are some moderately strenuous portions along the trail, but nothing as bad as the stairs.
A short distance from the Stone Mountain Falls you will find a branch in the trail that will lead you to two other waterfalls. The Lower and Middle Falls are not far off of the main trail, and are easily accessible as long as you don't mind a few shallow water crossings. If you have Gortex lined boots, this will not be a problem as it is rarely over ankle deep. As with the main falls, Lower and Middle Falls are both waterslides...although much smaller than Stone Mountain Falls.
Again, these are disappointments for me as the waterslides are not that photogenic. These are good ones for playing in, and I have seen many people sliding down the rock face into the pools. There are also flat rocks that are decent for sun bathing. Photographically, there are some cascades just before both of these falls that actually are quite nice and worth checking out. They can both be seen to the left of the trail just before the end.
Even though the feeder streams to the waterfalls in the park are more interesting (to me) than the actual waterfalls, all is not lost for those that are in search of cascading water. If you continue on the access road past the main trailhead you will see a small turnout on the right of the road with a sign for Widow's Creek Falls. There is only room for about three cars in the turnout, and you don't hear much about this waterfall. In fact there are several waterfall books that list this particular waterfall as an also ran with the other waterfalls in the park. It rarely gets its own description and writeup.
Honestly, I'm not sure why it doesn't get more attention. Not only is it the most interesting waterfall in the park, it is also by far the easiest to get to. You can see the waterfall from the road during the winter months when the trees are bare. The hike is nearly wheelchair accessible. The main falls is split into twin falls around what appears to be a crater in the face of the falls. There is another scoop in the left side of the rocky wall beside the falls. There is a calm pool where the water flows, and then follows several paths until it comes to a final waterslide. Despite the fact that I don't care for the main three waterfalls in the park, Widow's Creek Falls will keep this park in my list of favorite destinations.
Hiking...
As with other State Parks in NC, this one has plenty of hiking available. In fact this is where this park excels. If hiking is your thing, you will not be disappointed with this park. The trails are rated from easy to strenuous and there are plenty of different lengths which will enable you to fit any number of complete hikes into your allotted time there. Many of the trails are loops and they are all well maintained and marked.
A word of caution though. Stone Mountain is a very large park and because of that the trail map is rather small when it comes to the details. A certain amount of care has to be taken to ensure that you are on the right trail at times. It doesn't seem that the map fully matches up with the twists and turns, and distances seem to misleading. They have recently put up new blazes which do help tremendously. There are sections along the balds where you will have to follow painted blazes on the rock surface to stay on the trail. It is very easy to get turned around on the balds so be mindful of where your blazes are, and where you exited the forest in case you need to retrace your steps.
Speaking of the balds on the mountain, you will be able to see why Stone Mountain is named as it is along the hiking trails. One of the first things that you will see coming from the main trailhead is the Hutchinson Homestead. This is a restoration of a period homestead with living quarters and bars. Gardens and other elements are also present. There are currently (Sept 2009) repairs going on to fix one of the structures which had started to fall over. Just behind the homestead you will see a 600 foot granite face. This is the namesake of the whole park. It is quite impressive looking as if it just sprang out of the ground behind the trees. There is rock climbing by permit available here, and it looks like an excellent location to climb. There are benches for sitting while you are taking in the sights.
If you are of a mind to sit and take in the beauty of the bald you might be greeted with an additional surprise. Stone Mountain has more deer than any other state park that I have visited. These deer have become used to seeing humans and will likely get fairly close. Don't feed them though because it will hinder their ability to fend for themselves. There are warnings about this posted throughout the park.
Camping...
This is another feature of this park where I am torn on. There are plenty of camping sites for both RV's as well as tent campers. In fact, if you are camping with an RV, this might be one of the best spots around. Stone Mountain seems to cater to the RV camper with fully equipped sites (electric and water/sewer), and lots of clear area to park. The newest loop is very clear with limited trees or other undergrowth between tent pads. The parking areas are plenty big enough for RV's or pop up tents. The "B" loop is set up strictly for the RV camper with the hookups. The oldest loop is primarily for tent campers and is deeper in the woods. The sites are a bit close together and when the park is full you will get to know your neighbors.
Each camp site is equipped with a hanger for a lantern as well as a table. There are also tent pads which you have to keep any tents on. The newest loop has the nicest pads that are very level and covered in smooth gravel. It is easy to get the stakes in and out in these pads. The older loop, however, is a different story. There is coarser gravel on the pads, but the biggest difference is the rocks beneath the surface. I have bent plastic and metal stakes on these pads. There have even been a couple that I just couldn't get to come out because the were wedged in between rocks. This loop could really use some updating and refurbishing.
There are two bath houses one in "A" loop and one in "C" loop. The newer one in "C" loop is the nicest by far. They are clean and well lit with small two part shower stalls. the showers run off of a push button which will spray you at a set temperature for a period of time. If you push it every 25 seconds or so, you will get a continuous flow of water. In the winter there is no hot water, and in the summer it is too hot.
The other bath house is older, with slightly larger shower stalls. They also have two water knobs so you can control the temperature when the hot water is turned on. Lighting is not as good, and this one seems to get nasty quick since it is located in the tent only loop. There is a constant flow of traffic to this facility, but the park does a great job at keeping everything stocked.
For group campers there is also a large clearing for groups. There are pit toilets available and areas for cooking that have been made available. This is by permit only.
Conclusions....
Hanging Rock is still my favorite park near the central NC area, but Stone Mountain does have enough positive attributes to keep me coming back again and again. If you are searching for waterfalls, you might want to go elsewhere, but Widow's Creek Falls makes it a worthwhile trip all on its own. If you are looking for a good hike to clear the lungs, Stone Mountain is where you want to be. You will "feel" this hike the next day and know that your body was made to perform.
Something else worth mentioning in this review is that the Blue Ridge Parkway is just minutes from the park. You just need to continue straight up Hwy 21 until it intersects with the Parkway. If you travel back West a short distance you will find the overlook that provides a nice view of the mountain that you have just hiked all over.
Remember to leave only footsteps and take only memories.
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: Anytime
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Hiking & Trails
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
ncphototrekker
|
 in Electronics |
|
Member: Greg Kiser
Location: Winston-Salem, NC, USA
Reviews written: 43
Trusted by: 7 members
About Me:
I am a semi-professional landscape photographer based in North Carolina.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.