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Walking On The Moon: Exploring the Unearthly Beauty of Stone Mountain State Park

By Burt Dellinger

When you first set foot on the summit of Stone Mountain, you feel more like you're stepping into another world. The granite dome rises 600 feet above the encroaching forests, its massive form dominating 25-square miles of the Wilkes and Alleghany County countryside. Pocked with troughs and craters carved into the rock through millions of years of erosion, it's almost as if someone buried a moon south off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Geologically speaking, Stone Mountain is a pluton, a body of igneous rock formed more than 300 million years ago by a bubble of molten lava beneath the earth's surface. Unlike other mountains, which look more like stacks of tumbled and exposed boulders, Stone Mountain is essentially one giant stone erupting from the earth.

Stone Mountain State Park, which encompasses the titanic monolith, was established in 1969 and designated a National Natural Landmark in 1975. The largest state park in North Carolina, it covers more than 13,500 acres, including more than 16 miles of hiking trails, 17 miles of designated trout waters, three scenic waterfalls, a five-mile horseback riding trail, 75 picnic sites, three picnic shelters, more than a dozen campsites and several historic exhibits and sites. Rock climbing is allowed, but only by permit in designated sites in dry weather.

The park's eight trails are well blazed and clearly marked, with distances ranging from 1/2 to 2.5 miles The first cliffs are visible after a quarter mile of rather strenuous climbing. The tops of the cliffs are fairly level, but the walls are steeply sloped and should be avoided in wet weather. Hikers should also keep back from the cliffs' nearly vertical edges to avoid being stranded on ledges that are difficult to climb back up.

Fortunately, the spectacular views from high atop the cliffs will give you plenty to hold your attention. Hawks rise on the thermals from the valleys below. Pines and cedar cling tenaciously to the edges of the rock face, while patches of lichens, mosses and ferns grow from footholds on the granite dome itself. Together the forests and plants form a living frame for sweeping vistas of the surrounding rock faces, forests and mountains, stretching from horizon to horizon in every direction. These views are impressive year round, but particularly stunning when the forests are awash in autumn's full glory.

After you conquer Stone Mountain's breathtaking cliff faces, there are still plenty of sights to explore. Streaming down one side of the summit is Stone Mountain Falls, a 200-foot-high cascade framed by protective barriers and a winding manmade, wooden staircase almost as impressive as the falls themselves. Two other, smaller plumes, Middle Falls and Lower Falls, are only a short hike away as well.

You won't be alone while you're in the park either. Expect to see white-tailed deer or flocks of wild turkey wandering next to the roads or along the trails. Other animals found in the park include box turtles, gray and red foxes, bobcats, raccoon, frogs, salamanders, snakes, beaver and birds including scarlet tanager, whippoorwill, grouse and woodpeckers.

In addition to its natural wonders, the park also has three other attractions that pay tribute to the area's rich past. At the park office Mountain Culture Exhibit, you can learn how settlers built their own self-sufficient communities throughout the area. Near the base of the dome, you'll find the Hutchinson Homestead, which was built in the 19th Century and restored in 1998, complete with a log cabin, barn, blacksmith shop, meat house and original furnishings. You can also visit Garden Creek Baptist Church, which was established in 1897 and remains one of the few original Wilkes County churches that has not undergone major renovations.

If you've think you've seen or done it all in the North Carolina mountains, discover an out-of-this-world experience — try walking on the moon at Stone Mountain State Park.

Directions:
Stone Mountain State Park is located in Wilkes and Alleghany counties, seven miles southwest of Roaring Gap, south of the Blue Ridge Parkway and east of the Thurmond Chatham Game Lands.

From I-77:
• Turn west onto US 21
• Veer left onto Traphill Road (SR 1002)
ª Follow it to the John P. Frank Parkway
• Turn right and follow the parkway to the park

From the west:
• Take NC 18 north
• Turn right onto Traphill Road (SR 1002)
• Follow the road to the John P. Frank Parkway
• Turn left, following the parkway to the park

For more details, contact:
Stone Mountain State Park
3042 Frank Parkway
Roaring Gap, NC 28668
(336) 957-8185
stone.mountain@ncmail.net
http://www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/stmo/do.html

Park Hours:
• November-February, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
• March and October, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
• April, May, September, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
• June-August, 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
(Closed Christmas Day)
• Office Hours 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
(Closed state holidays)

Comments

- Posted by: John at October 12, 2005 09:59 PM

- Posted by: Kathy at October 12, 2005 11:45 PM

- Posted by: Richard at October 18, 2005 11:36 AM

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