DuPont State Forest Hike #2 - Stone Mountain
DuPont State Recreational Forest is a 10,300 acre woodland wonderland bursting at its seams with spectacular waterfalls, scenic granite domes, and wild backcountry.
An outdoor enthusiast’s paradise, it offers nearly 90 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails to explore its charming beauty. Rolling hills tucked between high mountains peaks host the headwaters of the Little River and six of western North Carolina’s most visually stunning waterfalls.
Thanks to its beauty and ample accessibility, DuPont is among the state’s premiere outdoor recreation destinations. It forms the northern bookend of lands among a contiguous corridor of more than 23,000 acres of conserved natural lands—many within CMLC easements—along the southern Blue Ridge Escarpment.
DuPont's story representsa landmark achievement for land conservation in western North Carolina. With the help of local environmental groups, including CMLC, 7,600 acres of DuPont State Recreational Forest was purchased by the Conservation Fund and then the state of North Carolina in 1996. Another 500 acres were purchased for addition to the State Recreational Forest in 2000.
Yet DuPont’s most remarkable natural features, its picturesque waterfalls, were nearly lost to development when a private in-holding within the greater DuPont State Recreational Forest was sold for the construction of a housing community in 1999. A grassroots group of citizens along with local environmental groups, including CMLC, led a statewide campaign for the protection of “the heart of DuPont” and the preservation of its beautiful waterfalls.
In 2000, the state of North Carolina invoked imminent domain on the property and it was ultimately purchased with funding from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, forever making it accessible for the public to enjoy.
CHALLENGE:
Hike to the summit of Stone Mountain in DuPont State Recreational Forest
Primary Route: Rocky Ridge Trail & Stone Mountain Trail
Hiking Distance: 2.4 mi. round-trip
Elevation Gain: 660 feet
Difficulty: Strenuous
Trailhead: Click here to enter your address and receive turn-by-turn directions to the access for the trailhead. GPS users may enter N35.2121, W-82.5730 in their units.
Hiking Directions: Follow the Rocky Ridge Trail from the parking area along a pleasant grade with barely noticeable elevation gain. The wide trail is mostly sandy soil and makes several curves before reaching a junction at 0.4 mi. Here, the Rocky Ridge Trail veers left. Turn right onto the Stone Mountain Trail and hike it briefly until reaching another junction at 0.5 mi. The Switchback Trail continues straight head; turn left to remain on the Stone Mountain Trail.
The trail begins a steep climb almost instantly; it generally remains steep the entire distance to the summit. Climb the rocky, often rutted, trail as it winds its way up the slopes of Stone Mountain. At 0.9 mi., the trail takes a wide curve to the right and climbs to arrive at a grassy clearing shortly thereafter at 1.0 mi. At 1.1 mi., enjoy a brief respite in the climb when the trail reaches several large boulders on each side of the trail. The route descends ever so slightly beyond the boulders before beginning its exceptionally steep, final climb through mountain laurel and rhododendron to reach the summit at 1.2 mi. The trail veers left and continues about 200 yards further to several different exposed rock faces, each with excellent views.
The middle clearing has perhaps the most expansive views that include the bulk of DuPont State Recreational Forest to the southwest. The multiple towers visible to the left are atop The Pinnacle. The Pinnacle forms part of the Blue Ridge Escarpment and the Eastern Continental Divide runs across its summit. Stone Mountain is actually a subpeak of the taller and more prominent peak of The Pinnacle. At the extreme right side of the view from Stone Mountain, look carefully to find another tall TV tower in the distance. This tower is near the summit of Rich Mountain in Transylvania County; CMLC conserved more than 100 acres of land above Camp High Rocks, on the far side of Rich Mountain.
Alternative Route: The northern terminus of the Rocky Ridge Trail, which begins near the junction of Old CCC Road and Sky Valley Road (click here for trailhead directions; GPS users may enter N35.2210, W-82.5862 in their units) may also be used to access the Stone Mountain Trail (see map above). This hike lengthens the round-trip distance to 3.4 mi. and increases elevation gain to 1,160 feet.
Looking for More of a Challenge?: Start from the lower end of the Rocky Ridge Trail for a longer hike with more elevation gain; see "Alternative Route" above.
Return to the CMLC Hiking Challenge Hike Listing