Park Overview

Stone Mountain State Park is located just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Roaring Gap, North Carolina. In the Mountains region, this 14,000-acre park features spectacular waterfalls, trout fishing, camping, a historic site, and over 30 miles of hiking trails to explore.

The park’s main attraction is Stone Mountain, a 600-foot granite dome, which is estimated to be 300 million years old. This dome is part of a 25-square-mile pluton, an igneous rock formed beneath the earth’s surface by molten lava. With an elevation of over 2,300 feet, visitors can enjoy a strenuous hike to the summit top or a lighter loop to the view from below. Climbers can hook up to the granite surface and get up close and personal with this mammoth earth mound.

Stone Mountain Loop Trail is a 4.5-mile loop that connects to all other trails in the park and takes you to the summit of Stone Mountain, Hutchinson Homestead, Stone Mountain Falls, and an 11.32-mile segment of the white-blazed Mountains-to-Sea State Trail (MST). You can opt to hike to the waterfalls or the summit without taking on the entire trail loop.

There are three campground areas for tent and RV camping under the stars with serene mountain views. All sites contain large gravel surfaces with a picnic table and bonfire pit. Big Sandy Creek runs through the campground, offering a tranquil getaway.

Park History

For early European settlers of the 1700s, Stone Mountain streams provided drinking water and an ample supply of fish. German, Irish, French, and English settlers relied on a single stock plow and horses to clear the land and cultivate crops. Fly fishing and trout fishing were very popular in the Appalachian Mountains and still are today.

Along the Stone Mountain Loop Trail, relish in vast views of Stone Mountain, especially in the winter months when the forest is barren. The wide, open path takes you over multiple foot bridges and uphill stone staircases toward the park’s historic site – the Hutchinson Family Homestead.

Originally built in 1855, the mountain farm included a family log cabin, barn, blacksmith shop, orchard, and garden. John and Cidney Jane Hutchinson used natural resources such as stone and lumber to construct the homestead for their 8 children. The homestead was kept in the family for three following generations. The family grew crops, raised livestock, and foraged the forest for culinary and medicinal ingredients. Today, the homestead offers a viewing point of the granite dome, and just beyond is the launch point to a rappeler’s paradise.

The Hutchinson Family Homestead was just one of 60 homesteads surrounding Stone Mountain, all established and sustained by hard working, self-sufficient pioneers. By the mid-1800s, a community formed around the mountain, including churches, schools, and a post office.

In 1969, the State of North Carolina purchased the farm as part of Stone Mountain State Park with the current resident, Jim Hutchinson, serving as the first state park ranger for 10 years. In 1975, Stone Mountain was designated as a Registered Natural Landmark. The homestead structures were restored in the 1980s to depict the rigor of mountain farm life.

STONE MOUNTAIN STATE PARK Trail System

• Stone Mountain Loop Trail – 4.5 miles (access via upper or lower trailhead parking lots)

• Middle Falls/Lower Falls Trail – 1 mile

• Wolf Rock Trail – 1.5 miles

• Black Jack Ridge Trail – 1.5 miles

• Cedar Rock Trail – 1 mile

• Mountains-to-Sea State Trail (MST) – 11.32 miles

• Widow’s Creek Trail – 2.5 miles

• Bridle Loop Trail – 2 miles

• Bridle Out-and-Back Trail – 8 miles

Things to Do

• Hiking – 30.32 miles of trails

• Equestrian Trails – 10 miles (Bridle Trails)

• Stone Mountain Waterfalls

• Climbing – permitted in designated areas on the cliffs of Stone Mountain

• Fishing – bass & trout

• Mountain Culture Exhibit & Art Museum inside the Visitor Center

• Hutchinson Homestead historic site – open May to October, weekends only

• Camping – 90 RV & tent sites (Loop B has electric & water hookups); group camping; backpack camping

• Picnicking – 75 sites/shelters

• Nearby – Stone Mountain Country Store and McRitchie Winery & Ciderworks

Explore More:

More from Stone Mountain State Park:

Resources:

https://stateparks.com/stone_mountain_state_park_in_north_carolina.html

https://www.blueridgeheritage.com/destinations/stone-mountain-state-park/