Today's hike visits the namesake of Hanging Rock State Park, Hanging Rock. The photo above is looking west from the top of the rock. The photo below looks northwest toward Moores Knob and Indian Face.
Located in Stokes County, NC, Hanging Rock State Park was once privately owned and considered to be a great location for a mountain resort. Popular resorts already existed in the area benefiting from the mineral waters of Moores Spring, Piedmont Spring and Vade Mecum Spring. The former two date back to the late 1800's and the latter to the early 1900's. Popularity began to wane in the 1920's as automobiles could take vacationers to farther and previously inaccessible places. That is about the time the area now Hanging Rock State Park was being considered for development. The venture went bankrupt and the land found its way to the State of North Carolina and became a state park. Early park buildings, trails and the lake were constructed by the CCC. Remnants of the camp still exist in the group campground located near the park's entrance. One of those structures, the bath house on the lake is now on the National Register of Historic Buildings.
This flowering Fringetree can be found on the trail to Cook's Wall
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