My husband and I have lived in North Carolina for 28 years but had never visited
Chimney Rock State Park - just 2 hours away from our home. There is something about scenic photos that do not give you the feeling you've been there but I trust you will be inspired by them enough to make a trip to visit this park in person. We took the elevator to the "Chimney"! Yes, it has an elevator and it took 30 seconds to get to the landing but we still had many steps to climb to get to the top of the massive rock. The stairs were out of the question for us. I think a guide said there were about 400 stairs. Our worn knees and out of shape bodies would not have made it. We visited on a week day; less crowded. We only had time to hike one moderate trail - Hickory Nut Trail. It led us to an amazing waterfall. The rock structures were massive all around and the views were breathtaking. I did not know that Lake Lure was nearby. It looked like a postcard from the top of the mountain. Enjoy our photos and do visit soon!
