Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park — Attraction in Black Mountain

One of the best and Amazing place to visit. We visited on 2nd Sunday of august, there was a racing event in the top , so we had to wait till 10.30 on that particular day. Weather was partially cloudy when we started. I heard that there will be lot of crowd or car lines for ticket and it takes time to go up to chimney rock itself. But for us it took around 15 min to reach the parking lot . There is two way you can go up to the top either elevator or steps. If you have time and energy to climp up to 500 steps you can take the steps. But we took elevator and is equivalent of 26 floor rise. Elevator ends up to gift shop and there is a clean restrooms available at the store. Refreshments , small food store, ice creams are available too. Store size is moderate , prices of souvenirs are average and not costly like some places. From dining area you can have the view of mountains and lake lure. From the gift store you can walk to chimney rock. The view is AMAZING and Mesmerizing. From chimney rock you can take a little hike for observation deck , devils head and some extended trail to top of the mountain look as wells as top of the water falls (hickory nut waterfalls) , yes waterfall is there in the park. Dress up well for moderate hike , so comfortable shoes are much needed, if you are having a baby plan accordingly for waterfalls hike. We had 12 year girl and 4 year boy. Both were able to manage to do the hike to devils head from gift shop. To go to waterfalls bottom you have to come down from gift shop using elevator. we took the wooden steps to waterfalls trail. There is a restrooms , water fountain , water bottle vending machines located at the visitor center at head of the wooden steps for the falls. In the trail to waterfalls you have resting benches , it will be moderate hike about .5 miles approx. distance is not too far but some places it is little steep, but not dangerous though. Kids can do this trail too but consider if you have taken the steps to chimney rock , devils head etc., . Once you reach the bottom of the falls the view is amazing, little misty water will give you an calmness. There is moderate number of uneven rocks near to falls so careful there. But you will be able to touch the falls and not lot of water will hit the ground due to the height. Swimming and wading is prohibited. Emergency staff can be able to reach the falls using the ATV. All in all I will definetly recommend this...

Nov 20 2017 is when I visited. Because the top parking lot where you access the chimney Rock is closed due to landslide, entrance fee to the park was reduced to $6. I had to park in the first parking lot where the restrooms are. The Great Woodlands trail, Four Seasons Trail and Hickory Nut Falls Trail to the falls we're open along with everything located in the parking area. The woodlands trail, 0.4 miles, is great for kids, and the hike is easy. The four seasons trail, 1.4 miles round trip, is uphill climb... Strenuous!! I didn't know what to expect, because I was going to hike to the fall from the 2nd parking lot to the hickory nut falls. The four seasons trail has A LOT of steps and all uphill. The trail is also rocky. Allow plenty of time for breaks. The trail connects to the hickory nut falls trail with a 60+ step wooden staircase. From there, the hike to the falls is about 0.6 miles. Because it is November, the falls was pretty but there wasn't a lot of water. I assume it would be more grand during rainy seasons. The trip back to the car was much easier for me, because be careful because going down the steps can be hard on the knees and ankles, and the trail can be slippery. Overall, I can't believe I made it, and my little two 13-lb terrier mix hiked it without any problems. I had to tell them to wait for me!! 😂 I would definitely do it again.

About 5 years ago, I climbed the Outcroppings which is the 500+ step staircase to the Chimney Rock. It was challenging but also a great workout. There is a trail from the Chimney Rock to the top of the waterfalls. I didn't hike that trail than because it was narrow and I didn't want my little dog to slip...

Outstanding experience! We went midweek in June, so as to avoid crowds, and it was a great success! From the entrance, well-marked, to the signage, helpful, to the ticket hut, friendly and efficient, to the parking lot attendants (what a gift, to keep the parking lot full, prevent logjams from people looking for a place to park, and secure the closest possible parking spot for all comers!), who were helpful and friendly, to the park staff, friendly, encouraging, and informative, there wasn't a thing we would do to improve the experience. We took the stairs up, with a 22-month-old and a 3.5-year-old, and the 3 year old took most of the journey up on her own steam. The grotto was a great place to take pictures, the views were marvelous, the subway was fun, the climb was just all-around enjoyable. We bought a couple overpriced trinkets in the gift shop, and took the elevator down. Most of the climb was in the shade, until the last few sets of stairs, where it got pretty warm (we were there just shy of noon).

The best thing about the park (among the many good things listed) was that there are enough attractions to keep a lot of visitors distributed, and avoid too much congestion. There are a variety of trails, several sidebar attractions, picnic tables, two gift shops, etc. Restrooms were clean and inviting, grounds were well-maintained.

There is even a helpful sign in the tunnel going to the elevator that says "If the line is to here, it would take less time just to climb the stairs." That shows real attentiveness to the craft of good tourism.

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