When subtropical storm Alberto dumped torrential rains on Chimney Rock State Park last August, the 6,800-acre park near Asheville, North Carolina, experienced a landslide that temporarily closed the road leading to the park's main attraction – Chimney Rock.
Impossible to miss, the 535 million-year-old granite-like formation juts off a mountaintop with a large American flag whipping in the breeze atop it. At 2,280 feet above sea level, the view from Chimney Rock can stretch 75 miles on a clear day.
Now that the floodwaters have receded and the road has been repaired, the popular tourist attraction is back in business.
To reach the pinnacle the easy way, visitors enter a 198-foot tunnel through stone. Along the way are panels that describe the engineering ingenuity involved in constructing a 278-foot elevator shaft in the heart of a rock some 80 years ago. The elevator was upgraded last year and lifts visitors up 26 stories to a small gift shop, the Sky Lounge Deli and a patio with views of Lake Lure. From there, getting to the top of Chimney Rock requires an easy 45-step climb. (Wheelchairs and strollers are not permitted.)
But visitors can also choose to walk up the 500 wooden steps along Outcroppings Trail. The climb takes about a half hour, but why move that quickly? Landings are strategically placed every 12 feet or so — the Grotto, the Subway, Pulpit Rock — to maximize views of Lake Lure, Hickory Nut Gorge and Gneiss Cave.
From the top, visitors can climb up 80 steep, winding stairs to the Opera Box overhang for better views and another 81 steps to see Devil’s Head, a huge rock perched on the side of the mountain with distinctive facial features.
Whatever your hiking desires and experience, the park has a trail for you, and leashed pets are welcome on all of them. Serious hikers may choose the short but strenuous Exclamation Point Trail, which ascends a third of a mile from the Opera Box through steep stairways and switchbacks, and another mile on the more moderate Skyline Trail. It meanders through ridge top forests, past sheer cliffs and Peregrine’s Point, the highest accessible point at 2,640 feet above sea level where falcons have been spotted, to the headwaters of the 404-foot Hickory Nut Falls.
For an even more challenging trail, hikers can drive to the other side of the gorge where the state recently opened Weed Patch Mountain Trail, a strenuous 8.5-mile round-trip haul, named one of the best new trails of 2019 by the National Coalition for Recreational Trails. A more moderate, 1.5-mile loop leads to Rumbling Bald Mountain where adventurous types can rock climb, rappel or go bouldering. This part of the park is free but parking reservations and climbing permits are required.
Not that ambitious? Most visitors aren’t either.
For an easy, family-friendly hike, Hickory Nut Falls Trail is a broad, gently sloping, three-quarter-mile trail from the parking lot that winds alongside the mountain to the bottom of the falls, one of the highest waterfalls east of the Mississippi. In 2018, this trail was featured on Forbes’ must-see North Carolina travel list, both for its beauty and its connection to the 1990s blockbuster, “The Last of the Mohicans.” The movie’s harrowing, climactic fight scene was filmed at the fall’s edge.
When hunger strikes, there are several restaurant options in Chimney Rock Village. Some of them overlook Rocky Broad River, which carved out the 14-mile Hickory Nut Gorge millions of years ago. The town also has souvenir shops, coffee and fudge stores and a gemstone mine. A new Rocky Broad River Walk accessible from Old Rock Café and other points along the street, allows visitors to stroll beside the roaring, boulder-filled river or stop at river’s edge to soak their feet.
Although Chimney Rock park didn’t become part of the North Carolina State Park System until 2007, it has been a tourist draw as a private park for more than a century. Today, most of its 250,000 visitors come the Southeast, but more and more are arriving from across the country and even abroad to discover the unique natural beauty of Chimney Rock.
IF YOU GO
Getting there
Chimney Rock State Park is 3.5 hours northeast of Atlanta via I-85 north.
Chimney Rock State Park. Opens 8:30 a.m. daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Closes 5:30 p.m. in summer, 4:30 p.m. the rest of the year. $17-$8. 431 Main St., Chimney Rock, North Carolina. 828-625-1823, www.ncparks.gov/chimney-rock-state-park
Where to stay
The Esmeralda Inn & Restaurant. The elegant, historic hotel opened in 1892 and hosted stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood including Mary Pickford, Gloria Swanson and Clark Gable. $189-$289, breakfast included. 910 Main St. Chimney Rock, North Carolina. 828-625-2999, www.theesmeralda.com
Evening Shade River Lodge and Cabins. Simple themed rooms with balconies or patios overlooking riverside grounds. $70-$129. 725 Main St., Chimney Rock, North Carolina. 828-625-4774, www.eveningshade.net
Where to eat:
Burntshirt Vineyards Tasting Room & Bistro. Taste local wines and dine on sandwiches or chef's choice meals. $11-$24. Open daily. 438 Main St., Chimney Rock, North Carolina. 828-436-2490, www.burntshirtvineyards.com
Old Rock Café. Located beside the entrance to the park. Serves breakfast and lunch, as well as hiker lunches for takeaway. $9-$11. 431 Main St., Chimney Rock, North Carolina. 828-625-2329
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