North Carolina Outdoors

Less than an hour from Greensboro and Winston-Salem, Hanging Rock is the triad's best nearby hiking getaway. Within its 6000 acres are more than 18 miles of maintained hiking trails that lead to vistas, waterfalls, caves and ridges.

The park encompasses the highest peaks of the Sauratown Mountains - an ancient range named for the Saura Indians. These once towering mountains have surrendered to wind and water everything except the erosion-resistant quartzite rock that is the backbone of ridges such as Moore's Wall, Cook's Wall, Devil's Chimney, Wolf Rock, and Hanging Rock.
Because the Sauratown peaks are completely surrounded by the rolling hills of the piedmont, geographers do not consider the Sauratown Range part of the nearby Blue Ridge.

The park's mostly xeric (dry) habitat is home to more than 300 species of plants, including the uncommon Pink Ladies Slipper .

The park has a 73 unit campground. Each site has a picnic table, grill ,and tent pad. Potable water is nearby. Washhouses offer hot showers and laundry sinks. Sites are available first-come first-serve. There are eight group camp sites near the park entrance that feature picnic tables and a fire circle. Reservations required. The park also has six vacation cabins. Reservations required. In summertime, be sure to take a refreshing swim in the park's 12 acre spring-fed lake.

Climbers should remember that climbing is allowed only on Moore's Wall, NOT Hanging Rock.

For more information, call 336-593-8480

Trail Descriptions

Hanging Rock Trail - Length: 1.2 miles one way. Difficulty: Moderate. Trail begins near the far end of the Visitor's Center parking lot. Hanging Rock juts 200 feet out of the ground. The overhang was formed as the softer sandstone underlying the durable quartzite top has gradually eroded away. Eventually, the Hanging Rock will come tumbling down as it succumbs to a process of undermining and breaking off.

Cook's Wall Trail - Length: 2.2 miles one way. Difficulty: Moderate. The trail begins at the edge of the woods directly behind the bathhouse. At the first fork, turn left onto the Chestnut Oak Nature Trail. Go left at the second fork also. The trail comes to a T intersection at the top of the ridge. To the left, the trail leads to Wolf Rock about 800 feet away, and then follows the ridge to the Hanging Rock Trail.

Moore's Wall Loop Trail - Lenght: 4.2 miles. Difficulty: Strenuous. Starts behind the bathhouse just as the Cook's Wall Trail. At the fork for the Chestnut Oak Nature Trail stay right and follow the edge of the lake. Cross the footbridge and in about 100 yards is the sign marking the start of the loop. Either go right or continue straight, depending upon the direction you want to do the loop. Follow the red blazes to the top of Moore's Knob (elev. 2572 ft.) and enjoy the panoramic view. The observation tower is a fire tower once used by the N. C. Forest Service.

Chestnut Oak Self-Guided Nature Trail - Lenght: 3/4ths of a mile. Difficulty: Easy. Starts at the edge of the woods behind the bathhouse. The trail has 25 numbered stops and a corresponding booklet. The booklets are usually nowhere to be found.... A good reson to carry your own field guides. See booklist above.

Indian Creek Trail - Lenght: 3.9 miles one way. Difficulty: Easy. The trail starts at the base of Window Falls and ends at the Dan River. After leaving the Falls, the trail follows Indian Creek, crossing it several times before joining an old road bed. The trail then takes a sharp right and leaves the road bed and continues to follow the creek. It crosses Hanging Rock Rd. outside the park gate and roughly follows Indian Creek all the way to the Dan River.

Lower Cascades Trail - Length: 3/10ths of a mile one way. Difficulty: Easy. Leave the park gate and turn left onto Moore's Springs Rd. Take the next left onto Hall Rd. to a parking lot on the right. The trail begins at the far end of the parking lot. A short hike takes you to the edge of the gorge where you can watch Cascade Creek tumble 120 feet through a series of falls.

Upper Cascades Trail - Length: 2/10ths of a mile one way. Difficulty: Easy. The trail starts at the lower left corner of the Visitor's Center parking lot. Handicapped accessible, with an observation deck built above the falls.

Window Falls and Hidden Falls Trail - Length: 6/10ths of a mile one way. Difficulty: Moderate. The trail starts st the end of the Visitor's Center parking lot.

Tory's Den & Tory's Falls - Lenght: 4.2 miles one way. Difficulty: Moderate. The trail starts behind the bathhouse. Follow the Moore's Wall Loop Trail until you get to an intersection marked by a sign. Follow the trail blazed with blue dots. You can also get there by road. Leave the park and turn left onto Moore's Springs Rd. Drive 3 to 4 miles and turn left onto SR 2011 (Mickey Rd.) Take the second left onto Charlie Young Rd. and go to the parking lot. Follow the blue dot trail for 1/2 mile to the Falls and Tory's Den. Tory's Falls is a multilevel 240 foot cascade.

Source: Hanging Rock State Park: A Guide to Hiking Trails. Published by the N. C. Division of Parks and Recreation.

Summary - Hanging Rock Location: Stokes County, about 30 miles north of Winston-Salem and four miles northwest of Danbury. Access: NC highways 89 or 66 to SR 1001, which leads to the park entrance. Established: In 1936 the Winston-Salem Foundation and the Stokes County Committee for Hanging Rock donated 3096 acres to North Carolina for establishing a state park. Most facilities in the park were constructed by the CCC between 1935 and 1942. Size: 6457 acres in 2000. Elevation: 2572 ft. atop Moores Knob. Local Links Hanging Rock State Park - The park's official website. Hanging Rock State Park Map Piedmont Land Conservancy - The land conservancy for Stokes County and the surrounding triad region. Camp Sertoma - Historic 4-H Camp located in nearby Westfield. Streamflow - Dan River near Francisco. Fox Mountain Guides - Hendersonville-based climbing school that leads climbing trips throughout the southeast. The Dan River Company - Danbury-based provider of professional livery services on the Dan River. Rents canoes, kayaks, pfd's, and paddles. Shuttle service available as well.

Books on Hanging Rock, the Piedmont, and Southern Appalachians Field Guide to the Piedmont - by Michael A. Godfrey. Yes, the Sauratown Range is in the piedmont. Thorough and scholarly, yet very readable, this is the ultimate natural history guide to the area between the Blue Ridge and the coastal plain. The Dying of the Trees : The Pandemic in America's Forests - by Charles Little. A good introduction to the effects of acid rain and exotic pests on the Blacks and other mountains. An Appalachian Tragedy : Air Pollution and Tree Death in the Eastern Forests of North America - edited by Harvard Ayers and Charles Little. Photos by Jenny Hager. A disturbing and provocative book. Spectacular photography. Cabins in the Laurel - by Muriel Earley Sheppard. A classic. Wonderful photos from the 20s and 30s, as well as compelling descriptions of life and people in the Toe River valley of the Black Mountains prior to WWII. Our Southern Highlanders : A Narrative of Adventure in the Southern Appalachians and a Study of Life Among the Mountaineers - by Horace Kephart. Simply the best book on life in the Southern Appalachians prior to the First World War. Humorous and insightful. If I could have only one book on this region, this would be my choice. Highroad Guide to the North Carolina Mountains - by Lynda McDaniel. Rated 5 stars by Amazon reviewers. North Carolina Hiking Trails - by Allen de Hart. Comprehensive. Covers 968 trails. My favorite. Hiking North Carolina (Falcon Guide) - by Randy Johnson. Covers fewer trails than de Hart's book, but covers them in more detail; maps and photos included. Trails of the Triad : Over 140 Hikes in the Winston-Salem/Greensboro/High Point Area - by Allen de Hart. A detailed look at trails in the triad. Maps and photos included. Exploring North Carolina's Natural Areas: Parks, Nature Preserves, and Hiking Trails - edited by Dirk Frankenberger. New. According to Amazon, #1 in Charlotte and # 4 in Chapel Hill (Aug. 2000.) Newcomb's Wildflower Guide - The best field guide. My copy is only two years old, but already dogeared. Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains Belongs on the bookshelf, not in the backpack. With over 600 color plates, this is an excellent keep-at-home companion to Newcomb's guide. Eastern Trees (Peterson Field Guides) A Field Guide to Reptiles & Amphibians (Peterson Field Guides) A Field Guide to the Birds (Peterson Field Guides) Music of the Southern Appalachians O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Soundtrack from the movie. An incredible collection of old time music. This is REAL country music. It is everything that today's slick new Nashville pop isn't. Featuring Norman Blake, Emmy Lou Harris, Gillian Welch, Allison Kraus, John Hartford, The Stanley Brothers, and more. An astonishing collection! Rated five stars by Amazon reviewers. Salt Sea Bound - Polecat Creek. First release (March 2002) from this triad-based group. Original music in the Old Time tradition. Outstanding song writing and beautiful harmonies. My favorite album of 2002. Ballads, Banjo Tunes, And Sacred Songs of Western North Carolina - by Bascom Lamar Lunsford. A Smithsonian Folkways CD, rated five stars by Amazon reviewers. Clarence Ashley And Doc Watson: The Original Folkways Recordings, 1960-1962 - Doc is a NC legend and national treasure. This is one of his earliest recordings. A Smithsonian Folkways 2-CD Set. Rated five stars by Amazon reviewers. The High Lonesome Sound - by Roscoe Holcomb. One of the greatest of the old-time banjo players, Holcomb did almost all of his playing at Holiness Church services and square dances. A Smithsonian Folkways recording. Rated five stars by Amazon reviewers. Music From The Lost Provinces: Old-Time-Stringbands From Ashe County, North Carolina & Vicinity 1927-1931 Various artists. A classic of the old-time genre. Rated four stars by Amazon reviewers. The Legacy Of Tommy Jarrell, Vol. 1: 1: Sail Away Ladies - Tommy Jarrell was one of the greatest old-time fiddlers. Rated five stars by Amazon reviewers. Ways That are Dark - by Daniel Gore, with Peter Rowan, Tim O'Brien, Jack Lawrence, and others. A musical companion to Horace Kephart's classic book, Our Southern Highlanders .