Stone Mountain State Park is located in Roaring Gap NC and features miles of trails for hiking and other outdoor activities. There are four named waterfalls within the park boundaries, Stone Mountain Falls the highlight of the quartet. The hike to the summit of Stone Mountain is also great and the view from the top is awesome. It can be done as a loop that includes three of the four waterfalls in the park.
To get to Stone Mountain State Park from I-77 take exit 83 (Highway 21 North for Sparta/Roaring Gap. Take NC21 North for 13 miles to Traphill Road (aka State Road 1002) and turn left. There is a brown state park sign. Proceed 4 miles to John P Frank Parkway and turn right. There is another brown state park sign at this intersection. Follow the parkway to the park, about two miles. The visitors center will be on the right.
When you enter into Stone Mountain State Park make sure to stop in the visitor’s center before you head to the trails. They have a lot of great exhibits and information about the park, it’s inhabitants and it’s history. You can also grab a trail map while you’re there. If you’re traveling with younger children who ar
e into the outdoors, ask about the junior ranger program. This is something you can do at any of the North Carolina State Parks. Your child will get an activity book that they can work on during your stay. Check in before you leave with the completed activities and one of the park rangers will issue your child a patch with the logo for that particular park. This was my daughter’s third (of four) patch earned in 2015. Her goal is to get one from each of the state parks, all 40 of them, which mean a lot of driving for me! It’s a great program that teaches children about nature and how to take care of our parks.
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