NewsBreak Original

One of the many things I love about North Carolina is the natural beauty we’re surrounded by in every corner of our state. With 14 National Parks and 41 State Parks, you could probably spend years just exploring them all. My husband and I have enjoyed hiking several parts of the Mountains to Sea Trail, as part of our overall goal to hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail in each state. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can try taking a long weekend to hike the 36 miles from Hanging Rock State Park to Pilot Mountain State Park, which is part of the MST. Someday we would like to hike that route, but so far we have just enjoyed camping in Hanging Rock State Park itself and enjoying the many stunning views that its trails offer. As you can see from this map, the trails vary from 0.4 mile easy hikes to 7.4-mile strenuous hikes, so there is something for every fitness level.

Ever since we explored Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina, we wanted to be able to see Pilot Mountain State Park from within Hanging Rock State Park. Turns out the best trail to do that is Moore's Wall Loop Trail along the western portion of the state park. It is a bit of a strenuous hike (4.7 miles and roughly 900ft of elevation gain), but honestly not as bad as I thought it would be after taking a 2 month hiking hiatus. Totally worth it my friends.

Many of you have probably been to Hanging Rock State Park during the Spring, Summer, and early Fall. BUT, have you ever been to Hanging Rock State Park after all the leaves have fallen down? If not, here is a small preview of what you might see! Epic views spanning in new directions and viewpoints are no longer constrained to a couple portions of the park! We highly recommend checking out Hanging Rock State Park this time of year!