This was one of Dot and Gentre’s targets for their trip and they mentioned Georgia had put them on to this place. HOWEVER, it is prominently mentioned and advertised in the AAA guide. We might have eventually visited here, as it is about 50 miles away. What a breathtaking bunch of scenery!
Until May of 2007, Chimney Rock was privately owned by the Morse family for more than four generations. The State of North Carolina bought it and it is now known as Chimney Rock State Park. They wouldn’t recognize my federal Senior Pass. Darn!
This terrain was formed by the rocky Broad River. We crossed the river at the entrance (1,040’ alt) and drove to the parking lot (2,280’ -260’). The 260’ is the height of the elevator which took us through the rock to the Sky Lounge. There is a tunnel through the rock which is at least as long. All this work was done years ago with dynamite and hand tools.
The Chimney Rock itself is 315’ high and stands at 2,280’ overlooking a beautiful valley. Simply breathtaking!
Another feature of the park is Hickory Nut Falls which is 404’ high, and claimed to be higher than Niagara Falls. Niagara must be the gold standard because a lot of falls around here and north Georgia are compared to Niagara in some way or other.
We couldn’t see the the falls from Chimney Rock. To see the falls, Dot and Gentre took the two-mile hike there and back, which they seemed to enjoy. I enjoyed the afternoon nap.
For more about this awesome piece of landscape: http://www.chimneyrockpark.com/
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