Stone Mountain North Carolina

I spent the last few days in the eastern foothills of the Appalachian Mountains at Stone Mountain State Park, North Carolina. This 14,100 acre park is named for Stone Mountain with its 600 foot granite dome. It was established in 1969 and designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1975.

The camping spot was very nice with a small creek running just outside my back door. If the weather had been warmer it would have been nice to leave the windows open and listen to it all night. But temperatures were down in the upper 20’s and low 30’s most nights. Being in this hilly area made cellular service spotty. I was able to text and make phone calls most of the time and internet, while very slow, was available over my Verizon phone. Some fellow campers who had other providers weren't so lucky

One day graced me with a few inches of snow; wet heavy stuff that coated the trees and was just beautiful. But maybe not so for the people up north who have seen far too much of the stuff this year.

The snow was gone by 5 PM but kept me around camp that day. Rain on another day and doing some minor truck repair and getting a propane refill on another took up more time.

There are several hiking trails in the park and I did manage some exploring on a nice, cool sunny day. My first stop was Stone Mountain Falls. It was over 300 stairs to the base of the falls, and of course what goes down has to come back up.

 

After a short break I continued upward.The hike to Stone Mountain Summit is only 1.6 miles but the gain in elevation and the previous 300+ stair climb made it feel much longer. I rewarded myself with a cold drink and chocolate bar before heading back down the mountain.

View on the Summit Trail

Almost there......

Made it!!

After descending to the truck I drove to the lower parking area and walked a half mile (uphill of course) to the Hutchinson Homestead. The original cabin was built by John and Sidney Jane Brown Hutchinson in 1855 (restored in 1998). Rooms were added over the years that it served 4 generations of Hutchinsons. The site features the cabin with original furnishings, barn, meat house, blacksmith shop and corn crib. On weekends during peak season the buildings are open to the public and staffed by park rangers. But at this time of year everything is locked up, although one is free to roam about the grounds.

On my way back to the camper I encountered some of the local wildlife.

Needless to say I slept well that night!

Tomorrow I leave for Norris Dam State Park in Tennessee. Hope everyone is happy and healthy!