Monadnocks of Stokes & Surry County, NC

Road Trip #362 - NC-8 South - North Carolina State Line through Danbury

Road Trip #363 - NC-8 South - Danbury to Germanton, North Carolina

Bottom of Lower Cascades Falls, Danbury, NC http://bit.ly/2QFpSzu

Stokes County / 1790 Hanging Rock Park Road, Danbury, NC 27016/ GPS: 36.4119, -80.2541 ..... PARK MAP

Fast Facts: 30 miles north of Winston Salem, this 9,011-acre state park is slightly west of Danbury NC, the county seat of Stokes County. It's located in the Sauratown Mountain range made up of monadnocks that are separated by the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains. The highest point in this state park as well as the aforementioned range is Moore's Knob which rises to 2,759 feet above sea level. In 1936, the first 3,096 acres were donated to establish the park. Additional land acquisitions in the 1970s added the Lower Cascades and the infamous Tory's Den, a rock outcropping rumored to hide British Loyalists during the Revolutionary War. A final land acquisition in 2000 added the Flat Shoals Mountain. The Hanging Rock State Park Bathhouse was added to the National Register of Historic places in 1991.

Trail(s): Moores Wall Loop Trail - 4.86 miles / 2:20:31 - AllTrails + Strava

Hike Buddies: Dave Townsend

Hike Conditions: sunny, mid 50s at the start.

Comments: Located about 97 miles from the house, it took us about 1 hour 30 min to get there. I picked Dave up just after 7a and we were on the trail just after 8:30a. Dave purposely carried a heavy pack as he was/is in training for a massive 4-day, 54 mile hike in Glacier National Park this coming August with daughter Annabelle. Our hike started behind the stone bathhouse next to the lake parking lot and we opted to go left (clockwise) which elongated the elevation gain but made it more manageable. The first part of the loop was compact and carved through dense patches of rhododendron which helped shape the trail. This was pretty neat. About 1.5 miles into the hike, the terrain turned very rocky as we started making our ascent to Moores Knob. We went off path once or twice making it a little more interesting, but quickly found our way back to the trail. Somewhere between mile 2.5 and 3 we reached the pinnacle and climbed up Lookout Tower, a former fire tower where we were treated to a 360-degree panoramic view of the surrounding areas (Dan River basin and Virginia to the North, Winston Salem to the South, Hanging Rock Mountain and Greensboro to the East and Pilot Mountain, Elk Knob, Grandfather Mountain and Mount Mitchell (120 mi) to the West - picture 4). We took in the scenery for a bit before leaving and descending the 684 stone steps of the “endless staircase.” We were off the trail and back to our car shortly before 11:30. We finished with lunch at River Rock Cafe in Danbury before making the return trip home.

Many of the Postcards posted have been addressed to the Ellington’s  that lived in Sandy Ridge, NC located in Surry County.   On Page 32 of the above reprinted pamphlet is a description of Dr. J.H. Ellington the father of Laura Ellington, recipient of many postcards.  

Stokes County / 1790 Hanging Rock Park Road, Danbury, NC 27016/ GPS: 36.4119, -80.2541 ..... PARK MAP

Fast Facts: 30 miles north of Winston Salem, this 9,011-acre state park is slightly west of Danbury NC, the county seat of Stokes County. It's located in the Sauratown Mountain range made up of monadnocks that are separated by the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains. The highest point in this state park as well as the aforementioned range is Moore's Knob which rises to 2,759 feet above sea level. In 1936, the first 3,096 acres were donated to establish the park. Additional land acquisitions in the 1970s added the Lower Cascades and the infamous Tory's Den, a rock outcropping rumored to hide British Loyalists during the Revolutionary War. A final land acquisition in 2000 added the Flat Shoals Mountain. The Hanging Rock State Park Bathhouse was added to the National Register of Historic places in 1991.

Trail(s): Moores Wall Loop Trail - 4.86 miles / 2:20:31 - AllTrails + Strava

Hike Buddies: Dave Townsend

Hike Conditions: sunny, mid 50s at the start.

Comments: Located about 97 miles from the house, it took us about 1 hour 30 min to get there. I picked Dave up just after 7a and we were on the trail just after 8:30a. Dave purposely carried a heavy pack as he was/is in training for a massive 4-day, 54 mile hike in Glacier National Park this coming August with daughter Annabelle. Our hike started behind the stone bathhouse next to the lake parking lot and we opted to go left (clockwise) which elongated the elevation gain but made it more manageable. The first part of the loop was compact and carved through dense patches of rhododendron which helped shape the trail. This was pretty neat. About 1.5 miles into the hike, the terrain turned very rocky as we started making our ascent to Moores Knob. We went off path once or twice making it a little more interesting, but quickly found our way back to the trail. Somewhere between mile 2.5 and 3 we reached the pinnacle and climbed up Lookout Tower, a former fire tower where we were treated to a 360-degree panoramic view of the surrounding areas (Dan River basin and Virginia to the North, Winston Salem to the South, Hanging Rock Mountain and Greensboro to the East and Pilot Mountain, Elk Knob, Grandfather Mountain and Mount Mitchell (120 mi) to the West - picture 4). We took in the scenery for a bit before leaving and descending the 684 stone steps of the “endless staircase.” We were off the trail and back to our car shortly before 11:30. We finished with lunch at River Rock Cafe in Danbury before making the return trip home.

The base of this tree burned through completely and it is now suspended about 30 cm from the ground by holding on to its neighbors.

“The mountains are calling,

and I must go.” 🍂