Stone Mountain Loop - Stone Mtn. State Park - N.C

Overview: A bedazzling granite bulge forms the centerpiece of Stone Mountain State Park, North Carolina's cousin to the more famous mountain of the same name outside Atlanta, Georgia.

Stone Mountain Loop takes you to the top of the bulge, past a scenic waterfall and through the restored homestead of a family that lived in the shadow of Stone Mountain for four generations. The park also provides an excellent side trip for travelers along the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway.

Two trailheads at Stone Mountain State Park lead to the loop. While the Lower Trailhead in the park's northeast corner gets you to the base of the mountain more quickly, the far better hiking route is from the Upper Trailhead on the west side of the park. From there, you hike a short spur to reach the loop trail, hang a left, walk down past Stone Mountain Falls and then continue till the massive wall of granite starts to fill the background behind the thinning tree cover about 1.75 miles in.

Slack-jawed wonder is a perfectly natural response to seeing Stone Mountain for the first time. Once you get your wits about you again, you can explore the Hutchinson family's homestead, occupied for a century from 1855 to 1955.

Then it's a steep slog to the summit - a vast, sloping field of granite striped black by one rainstorm after another. Finally, it's all downhill to get back where you came from.

Best time to go: mid- to late October for the fall colors. About the only time to avoid the park is in the sweltering weeks of August.

Tips: Stone Mountain has a few serious dangers -- here's how to avoid them:

* Stay behind the wooden fence at Stone Mountain Falls. People have tried to get up close to the falls, lost their footing on the extremely slippery rock and fallen 200 feet to their deaths.

* From Stone Mountain Summit, it's possible to descend too far, lose your footing and slide to the bottom, with fatal results. Enjoy the view but explore with extreme caution; even if you don't fall, you can get trapped if you descend to point where you can't get enough traction to go back up the hill.

* Stay off the summit if a storm is coming in; you don't want to be exposed if lightning strikes.

What to bring:
Shoes with good traction
Water & snacks to keep your energy up
Camera
Hiking pole if you use one
Clothing in layers in case it rains