Part 5 of an 8 part series
Hike Stone Mountain, North Carolina
Less than 2 hours from Charlotte, sits a huge granite dome at Stone Mountain State Park. In a 5.6 mile hike you see amazing views, an epic waterfall, and a historic homestead! This was definitely one of my favorite hikes so far but also one of the toughest!
Why Hiking?
Our family trip this summer takes us to Montana. We’re headed to Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, and everything in between. Unlike most of our family trips, this one is going to involve a lot of exercise. To really experience these beautiful parks, it sounds like you have to do some hiking! In addition to some of the gear we need to buy, we also need to get into some serious hiking shape. Lucky for us, we live in Charlotte where there are a ton of hiking options all within 2 hours. During the next 8 weeks my husband and I will be taking on a different hiking adventure each weekend. For our first week we took on one of the most popular trail locations- Crowders Mountain.
Which trail should we hike?
Although there are several trails in this park offering different lengths and levels of difficulty, the Stone Mountain Loop Trail had the best reviews on my Alltrail app. It was also labeled “hard” which after a two week break, I felt like we were ready to take on. The Upper Trailhead was the suggested starting point on the west side of the park.
During our hiking experiences I’ve learned that the trails are either “out-and-back” or “loops”. I prefer loops when it’s an option so you don’t see the same thing twice. The thing about “loops” is there is a clockwise or counter clockwise direction which can make all the difference.
The Stone Mountain Loop trail
After parking in the upper parking lot (which is actually the closest coming from Charlotte), you follow the signs to the loop trail. This is where you decide left or right to begin the loop. We went right thinking that would be counter clockwise, which was the suggested direction to make this hike less strenuous. Guess what? Right was clockwise and we were in for a challenge. So for those of you reading this… TAKE A LEFT. We started an immediate ascent to the top of the granite dome and surprisingly reached breath taking views in about .5 miles.
the summit
Had we gone the other direction we would have gone through winding woods, down several staircases leading to a waterfall, the homestead, and then start the steep ascend to the summit. We just hit the summit first and enjoyed the rest of the hike leading to the waterfall. Either way you hit numerous stairs at the dome or at the waterfall and that was by the far the most difficult part of the trail. Trust me when I tell you the views from the top of the dome are breath taking and worth the effort. Honestly the view at the bottom of the dome from the Hutchinson homestead is amazing too!
Other points of interest
The entire hike is beautiful with changing scenery along the way. In addition to the summit there are several other points of interest. The Hutchinson family homestead occupied from 1855 to 1955 is worth exploring. I can’t imagine living in the shadow of that huge granite dome! The waterfall is another show stopper. If you have time to wade into the water you should, but just know its slippery and ice cold! There are lots of fun areas to stop and picnic or just take in everything around you.
Time to hydrate
After hiking the 5.6 mile loop (which we thought was 4.5 miles), we were ready for a beer! This week’s brewery was on the way home in the quaint town of Elkin. Located on the main street in an old warehouse is Angry Troll Brewing. We got there right before the rush and were surprised by their extensive restaurant menu. They have rotating local brews written on a chalkboard and specialize in wood fired pizzas and wings. The name comes from the founding troll who’s bridge was demolished. His motto is, “when life tears down your bridge, you start a brewery.”
Top Pick Beer: Red Trail Ale
Top food pick: Any wings
The Vibe
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