Since I made a weekend excursion to southwestern North Carolina, I wanted to make the most of my time and see as many sights as possible. Since I spent the morning at South Mountains State Park, I decided that Chimney Rock would be the perfect stop before stopping in Asheville for the night.
Sadly, Chimney Rock is not the ideal place after a 9 mile (12 km) hike up the side of a mountain. Although you drive the majority of the way up the mountain, the final stretch is a endless series of stairs that lead higher, and higher, and higher! Fortunately, once you reach the "chimney" top, you are rewarded with a magnificent view of the surrounding mountains and Lake Lure below.
Surprisingly, Chimney Rock is not the end-point on the trail - instead, it continues up more and more stairs to several additional attractions. My favorite was a location known as "The Opera Box", which is merely a alcove in the mountainside that provides a wonderful view of Chimney Rock and the surrounding mountains. Further up the mountain, is an interesting rock called "Devil's Head" due to its pointed features that make it look demonic. Finally, after leaving the wooden steps and following a rough stone path, you arrive at the top (?) of the mountain for a view towards the west. Sadly, the western view was nowhere as appealing as the eastern view of Chimney Rock and Lake Lure.
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