In January I went to Chimney Rock State Park on my solo winter road trip through the Southeast. This stop was a special road trip moment for me because it was my first moment of true spontaneity on the trip. I was driving from Charlotte to Asheville and I kept seeing signs for Chimney Rock, and I was intrigued, so I decided on a whim to make a stop. By the time I got there everything was covered in fog and I was trying to beat it up to the top, but of course, that didn’t work. So, when my parents came last month, my dad and I made the drive to the Lake Lure area to do a little hiking in Chimney Rock State Park.
The Chimney Rock area is absolutely stunning. These mountains made up the backdrop for the film The Last of the Mohicans, in fact, the waterfall we hiked to is the waterfall at the end of the movie. We started off our trip up to the top of Chimney Rock, a formation that juts out of a cliff and looks like, you guessed it, a chimney. The climb to the top takes you up dozens of stairs, and you’re rewarded with a beautiful view of Lake Lure and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
After enjoying the view from the top of Chimney Rock, we continued climbing up stairs to reach the highest point- Exclamation Point. Along the way we saw other formations and views. My favorite of these was The Devil’s Head. This creepy formation is actually shaped just like the devil.
The say the name Exclamation Point comes from the fact that you want to shout when you reach the top… I don’t know that I thought the view was especially “exclamation-worthy”, but it was quite pretty.
The last hike that we did was the Hickory Nut Falls Trail. It takes you to the bottom of Hickory Nut Falls, where the end scene of The Last of the Mohicans takes place. The trail takes you through the forest, and starts off down some more stairs. It’s a beautiful waterfall and although it isn’t a massively wide or rushing waterfall, it’s so incredibly tall.
It’s always such a treat to spend time in nature with my dad. I love that I have a dad who appreciates the beauty of the outdoors and is willing to spend time with me with doing the things I love.
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