Boone and Stone Mountain State Park, North Carolina

Grandfather Mountain from the Blue Ridge Parkway

We somehow managed to get a nail in the tire of our car after our hike at Roan Mountain so before we left Linville Falls we made a 25-mile detour off the Parkway into the town of Boone to get our flat fixed.  Once our tire was repaired, we toured Boone and checked out the college there, Appalachian State University. 



The campus dominated much of the downtown area and was very nice.  At lunch we met and talked to a local couple who were recent transplants to the area.  They had only great things to say about living in the Boone area.  Boone’s climate is very mild with cool summers because of the higher altitudes. Those same altitudes bring snow to the mountains in winter and in fact, there are ski areas nearby.  It turned out to be a fun day and we didn’t mind the side trip at all.  It also gave us a chance to explore a little more of the Blue Ridge Parkway making stops at Grandfather Mountain and Beacon Heights for short hikes on our way back.

 

Near summit of Stone Mountain

 

We discovered that we were only 70 miles from Stone Mountain State Park in the northwest part of the state and David and I thought it would be a nice side trip from the Parkway.  Almost as important, it would be a chance to have electricity for a few days while we explored another interesting place.  We had been ‘boondocking’ or camping without electricity or other services for over a week and were badly in need of charging up the computer, the phones, the Kindles and everything else that required power.  That’s one of the reasons my blog posts have been sporadic lately – not enough power to run the computer for long and then very slow Internet, if any at all.

 

 

What a view!

 

At first, Stone Mountain was not what I expected.  For one thing, there was no Stone Mountain anywhere that I could see.  But we soon learned there was a magnificent 600-foot granite dome in the interior of the park; you just had to work a little to get there.  The Stone Mountain Loop Trail was the best way to accomplish that and after a good night’s recharging for us and the electronic equipment, we were off to see the stone.

Upper portion of Stone Mountain Falls

Hiking through the mountain laurel

 

 

The stone mountain was quite impressive, reminding me a little of Enchanted Rock near Fredericksburg, TX.  The rest of the park was pretty cool too with cascading waterfalls, mountain streams, quiet forests and the Hutchinson Homestead, a historic farm built in the 1850s.  The mountain laurels (different from our Texas ones) were in their prime blooming time and the trails were saturated with pink and white blooms in many places.  Stone Mountain Loop Trail took us across the summit of Stone Mountain then by the Hutchinson Homestead and finally to a 200-foot Stone Mountain Falls. The trail was steep and strenuous in many places and steps helped with the near vertical parts on the granite dome.  Staying on the trail was a must!

 

Mountain laurel on edge of Stone Mountain Creek

 

 

Mountain laurels have gorgeous blooms!

 

 

Widow's Creek Falls

 

 

As often happens in campgrounds, Maya has her own agenda.  She likes to visit and pet with just about anyone who is even marginally friendly.  And of course she gets to know every dog and wants to play but most campgrounds tend to frown on dogs being off leash and playing.  At Stone Mountain Maya found two fellow herding dogs, a sheltie named Star and another Aussie named Lulu to hang out with.  Making friends while camping is always a good thing.

 

 

 

 Lulu, another Australian Sheppard and Maya

 

Maya and Star, a Shetland Sheepdog

 

 

David's Stats:
Days Hiked       2
Total Miles Hiked    11.69      
Ave. Miles per Day      5.86
Total Elevation Gain      2,199
Ave. Elevation Gain per day   1,075