RESUMING THE CHASE
This season has offered the
best fall color I’ve seen in the southeast in years. I saw some great foliage on hikes in the Shining Rock and Mount
Rogers areas in early October, but I wanted more. I continued my pursuit of the best fall colors in recent memory
with a dayhike in Hanging Rock State Park last weekend.
I chose Hanging Rock for a
couple of reasons. First, I knew that
the colors were rapidly fading at the higher elevations. Hanging Rock is located in the Piedmont
though, so I expected the colors to be lingering there. Also, my mom, sister, and niece live in
Winston-Salem, so a hike at Hanging Rock would give me the opportunity to
visit. Finally, it would give me a
chance to return to a place where I used to hike on a regular basis.
It took me a bit over 2
hours to drive from my house on the far side of Charlotte to Hanging Rock. Hanging Rock is located north of
Winston-Salem near the town of Danbury.
I arrived at the park well before rush hour, which in this area is defined
as Sunday after church lets out. I
decided to use my head start to visit some popular areas that would become
crowded that afternoon.
First I walked down to the
lake to view the fall colors. The
foliage across the lake was nice, though it wasn’t nearly as spectacular as
what I’d seen earlier in October.
Afterwards I returned to the car to get organized for my hike. I had chosen to do my favorite hike in the
park, which consists of a loop connecting Moores Wall, Cooks Wall, and Wolf
Rock. The park does offer a couple of
other nice hikes. The hike to Tory’s
Den is pleasant, and features a minor waterfall and a small cave. The hike down Indian Creek beyond Window
Falls is surprisingly attractive, as it passes through a gorge en route to the
Dan River. The best aspect of this
trail is that it is lightly traveled.
The same can’t be said about my intended route, but I expected the views
from the cliffs to offer the best fall colors.
I hiked up beyond the lake
and joined the trail to Moores Wall. I
passed through the campground, and began a moderately steep climb towards the
parks highest point. Along the way I
passed another group of hikers. When I
reached the observation deck on the summit, I was surprised to have it to
myself. There is a nice view from the
cliffs below, but the deck does provide a 360-degree vista. It would’ve made a great lunch spot, but the
wind was brutal. After only a couple of
minutes there, I was ready to leave.
Plus, other people began arriving before long.
I retreated down to the main
trail and followed it through an area of interesting rock formations. It was here that I found the holy grail of
lunch spots. It was a sloping rock that
was somehow in the sun but out of the wind.
It offered a decent view, and kept me out of sight of the trail. It was amusing to eat lunch and listen to
other hiker’s conversations as they passed by.
After lunch, I explored some
of the passages through the rock formations before descending. On the way down I passed at least a dozen
people heading up. Apparently my timing
had been good. After a long descent I
crossed the trail to Tory’s Den and began the climb to Cooks Wall. This ascent is easier than Moores Wall, and
it leads to my favorite spot in the park.
At a junction on the ridge, I took the side trail out to Cooks
Wall. I reached the cliffs there a
short time later, and was pleased to find only two other people there. I took a break to enjoy the sweeping
views. The best vista was to the west,
to Sauratown Mountain and Pilot Mountain.
From here I spotted dozens of birds soaring on the thermal currents
created by the cliffs of Hanging Rock.
I’d like to think that the birds were hawks, but they were probably just
buzzards. Regardless, they were fun to
watch.
From there, I followed the
ridge back to Wolf Rock. From Wolf Rock
I had a final nice view of the surrounding cliffs, including the ever-popular
Hanging Rock itself. From there, I took
a different trail back down to the lake, completing a pleasant and scenic loop.
It was only mid-afternoon,
so I decided to spend a few minutes visiting a couple of waterfalls. I hadn’t been to the Upper Cascades in a
long time, and dreaded the crowds that were sure to be there. After a short walk I arrived at the viewing
platform, which is a large wooden eyesore that the NC state park system is
regrettably fond of. Fortunately,
stairs at the end provide access to the base of the falls. The water was up from the recent rains, and
the cascades were nicer than I remembered.
Even better, there were only a few people in the area, and none were at
the base of the falls. This gave me the
opportunity to take a few photos.
Later, I followed a faint path to a point below another run of
cascades. This required a steep climb,
and the view wasn’t nearly as good. If
you visit, I’d recommend concentrating on the main viewing area at the base of
the first cascades.
I was short on time, but
wanted to visit the Lower Cascades before I left. Unfortunately, there is no trail between the Upper and Lower
Cascades. In fact, visiting the Lower
Cascades require driving to another part of the park. The last time I’d been there I’d followed a path to a steep
descent down to the base of the falls.
At the time, I’d been amazed that the nicest waterfall in the park was
so remote and largely unvisited. Boy
was I in for a surprise today! When I
arrived at the trailhead, I found a new parking area full of cars! Previously, I’d thought that the Lower
Cascades were relatively unknown.
Apparently that is no longer the case.
A short hike led to another
massive viewing platform and a long staircase.
I descended into a small amphitheatre to the base of the falls. Here I found an absolute circus of people. Apparently all of the people I had been
expecting to see throughout the day had been waiting here for me. There were old folks, young folks, dogs, and
a huge group of Asians, and everyone had a camera. Judging from the number of flashbulbs going off, I’m guessing
that most of those people won’t be happy with their photos. That brings up something I’ve been wondering
about. Are there any famous
professional Asian photographers?
Because there sure are a lot of amateurs! I had to jockey for position just to find a place to set up my
tripod. The effort was nearly futile,
but I managed to get a couple of rushed shots before a family and a dog decided
to pose in front of the falls. At that
point I gave up, as I was more than ready to get out of there.
I’m sure I’ll return to
Hanging Rock again. Next time though,
I’ll be sure to stop at the Lower Cascades in the morning, before the crowds
arrive!
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