We had a wonderful hike, beautiful day. Wonderful views from the top, trail well maintained! Lots of steps, so get your knees ready! In October there were a good number of people, but not overly so. read more

Hanging Rock State Park - View from top of hanging rock - Parks Near Me - Westfield, North Carolina

See all

Had a blast this past weekend at Hanging Rock State Park. We didn't do any camping; we were just there for the day. The trail was well maintained, the views were gorgeous, and there were lots of picnic tables and grills for eating lunch. Their restrooms were surprisingly clean considering the amount of traffic through them. This place is also dog friendly, which is awesome. Our dogs were exhausted after! It would be nice if they used a leaf blower under the tables, as we had to clean it out ourselves to have somewhere to put our legs and feet comfortably. Also, I do not recommend going here on a holiday weekend. The trail was so packed, there were multiple times we had to slide over to the side and let people pass coming from the other direction. read more

Hanging Rock State Park - All of us at the top! - Parks Near Me - Westfield, North Carolina

An absolute beautiful state park that was worth 2 hrs of driving from RTP! We were in the upper loop family campground the weekend before the 4th and it wasn't too crowded. A lot of cancellations due to thunderstorms but the weather wasn't too bad. Beautiful weather for us. Lots of big o ants and creatures so come prepared with insect repellent. The campground host also warned us that a bear came down to the campground the night before so she asked us to store our coolers in our car. Campers can purchase woods for $5 from the campground host. Campers must also check in with them before heading to their campsites unlike other campgrounds where you check in at the gate. Hiked up to the hanging rock and balanced rock and the views were gorgeous!! Wear comfortable shoes as it is pretty rough heading up and down. Women's restroom/bathhouse was full of bugs. Three toilet stalls and four shower stalls. State park workers stopped by every morning to clean and replenish toilet papers and paper towels. Headed down to the swimming area for some water. Admission was $5/adults and $4/children. Visitors can also rent canoes. Had a great experience. Will return. read more

Hanging Rock State Park - Parks Near Me - Westfield, North Carolina

This is a truly beautiful park. We stayed 2 nights in one of their cabins. The cabins were well appointed for a little rustic living. You bring your own linens, pillows and towels. The kitchenette has a 4 burner stove and a full size refrigerator. Dishes, cups, silverware, all adequate for 4-6 people. Pots and pans provided but if you are planning on doing any real cooking I would say at least bring your own knives, a cutting board, and anything bigger that a 2 qt pot if you need it. We had a huge screened in porch with very nice rocking chairs on the porch. Perfect for breezy evenings. We were at the end of the row (cabin 10) so our porch was very private. The only complaint I can really say I have about the cabins are the matresses are really only camping mattresses, very hard on the back for me. Next time I will invest in an air mattress to put on top. We took one of the hiking trails to check out a waterfall. It was a little rough, rocky, and steep in areas, and I'm so proud of myself for making it all the way down and up again. It was a little hard on these old knees, but I did it, and it was totally worth it. The falls are beautiful. Hiking trails can get a little busy though, you are definitely not walking alone with your party, there are many people on those trails. read more

See all

This park was beautiful. The camp ground was really nice and taken care of. It was really spacious and you had privacy between your site and your neighbors. Everyone was really friendly as well! The bathrooms were clean and the showers were nice and warm. My boyfriend and I took our little shiba inu with us and he loved it. There are lots of bugs so definitely bring spray and any products you use to keep your pets comfortable. It was a nice and relaxing get away. We did the hanging Rock hike. It was perfect for the size of our little one since he's still a pup. We walked from the campsite to the visitors center which was a little longer than I thought. So if you don't want that extra walk, drive to the visitors center. The hike was awesome and the views were worth it. It is a lot of up hill though. Overall I'd definitely recommend it! It was a good stay. read more

See all

Hanging rock is a great park to visit, with great views and excellent camo grounds. The park has numerous amount of trails and great staff. This park is one of my personal favorites and it has always been a great one every time I visit. The safety of the park is amazing, they use non invasive burns to protect wildlife and nature from fire and they have rangers on staff all the time. If your looking for something adventurous I would recommend hiking the hanging rock trail for great views. I have loved this place from the very first time and I will never forget it. read more

Myself, my husband and our Pup headed out to hanging rock in late February on a Sunday morning. We drove from raleigh and arrived right around 10am. What a beautiful park! The hike up was tougher than we imagined due to the incline. But there were plenty of benches along the way to catch our breath. It's so worth it though. I couldn't believe the view from the summit. By the time we were on our way down, the park really started to get busy. I'd definitely recommend going early when it's both less crowded and cooler :) read more

Hanging Rock State Park - Hanging rock state park from the top. - Parks Near Me - Westfield, North Carolina

See all

Happened to be driving by, didn't even know this was here, but we stopped in. We weren't prepared for any hiking, so just went to the visitor's center to read the history of the park, which was interesting. Many facilities including the visitor center, dam, lake and more were built by the CCC between 1935 and 1942. Very interesting exhibit about it, the mountains, early inhabitants, and wildlife in the park all inside the visitor center. Also can read more about it at this link: http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/haro/history.php. We did go look at the cabins and got a brochure about them. They're inexpensive to rent for what you get. Many have screened in porches and all have heating & AC. A couple are even handicapped accessible. Nice! read more

You can't write a negative review of this hike. Because anyone who makes it to this summit and doesn't get their breath taken by the sheer grandeur of this rock formation and the view of the surrounding area is just a downright unpleasant person. You can put that in the bank. The hike is not arduous at all, and it's well worth the work to reach the peak, even on a busy day. I truthfully can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this hike and the views it affords. And the trial to the hanging rock isn't the only trail in the park. There's a lot to be experienced that goes beyond this single element (the hanging rock). Check this place out, especially if you're in the region. There's no excuse for folks in Western NC not to visit, and folks from out of town/area would be pleased to find this gem! read more

Hanging Rock State Park - Hanging at the hanging rock. - Parks Near Me - Westfield, North Carolina

Beautiful, there have beautiful cabins you can rent. There is swimming, hiking, canoeing etc. come see for your self, you won't regret it!

Nice visit to this park. It's a tidy and well maintained state park with picnic areas, fishing off a little dock or the bank. The all is stocked with trout. There's a sandy beach with lifeguard and you have to purchase a swim ticket to go in so be prepared for that. Down the road is a nice parking area where you can hike on a nice trail down to the waterfall. It's really worth the short hike, makes a nice spot to picnic and take a dip in the cool water on a hot day. You can take pets to the waterfall but not the swim hole. Pick up after your pets. There's camping there as well but I did t check that out. It's super busy in summer on a hot day but nice enough to put up with. read more

See all

Great state park if your are a waterfall lover you will get to see a few. Lots of steps to get to two of them. So worth it. Didn't get to do all of the park. Want to go back and take the longer trail that has the views. read more

See all

I love a challenging hike and this one satisfied me. I only did the hanging rock trail today but you could definitely spend all day here hitting the other trails. It is mostly uphill the entire way with steps towards the end of the trail. The view at the end is breathtaking so don't quit halfway through, it's worth getting to the end. I will definitely be back to try out the other trails but for my first time here this was the one I wanted to try first. read more

See all

This hiking trail was absolutely stunning. It reminded me of the Trolltunga Cliff in Norway. The trail to the hanging cliff wasn't too rough although at one point there was a steep staircase from hell. The hanging rock was pretty congested with people but the view was breathtaking and totally worth it. Definitely my favorite park. read more

Hanging Rock State Park - Parks Near Me - Westfield, North Carolina

Excellent hiking with spectacular view and extraordinary waters falls. You must visit this park ! read more

See all

Beautiful!!! Lots of hiking trails and natural waterfalls to cool down at or just admire. Free parking and lots of picnic tables to enjoy lunch or a snack. Bring lots of water (if going in the summer). We would have hiked more of the trails but our 10 yr old Golden Retriever hips were hurting so we only walked 2 of the trails. But we will be back. They also have camping but no hook ups so be prepared if you are in an RV. The road is pretty steep as well, so be causes when pulling a trailer. The paths to the falls are steep too!! Your thighs will be screaming read more

See all

Find peace here Take a less travelled trail, during the week, on a misty day. OR, cook out with friends, kids, at one of many grills/ shelters. Swim / canoe / fish A good place to LIVE life read more

I did the hanging rock trail the other day and it was beautiful here. I would say it was a little taxing but nothing that's too hard. There were lots of children and animals on this trail. The views were absolutely breathtaking. No sun the day I went but my pictures came out amazing with the moodiness of the sky. I was going to go to the falls after but I arrived late. I will def go back to do other trails. Worth the trip for sure. read more

Great place for a relaxing getaway with family and friends. Pet friendly! I would definitely recommend this place for a day trip getaway.

We spend the weekend at Hanging Rock State park in one of the camping cabins! We had a great time! The boys fished and we all went swimming at the lake. The park has very nice hiking trails and is close to tubing and kayaking on the Dan River! Great campground! We will definitely be back! read more

Hanging Rock State Park - Parks Near Me - Westfield, North Carolina

See all

Love the trails they are always taken good care of an clean. Lifeguards on duty in the swimming area. Added handrail most of the way down to the falls. Very nice. Added Flintstone type car for kids an photos read more

We stayed in Hanging Rock State Park for 7 days at around $18/day. Rates for Fri & Sat were higher. This park is fairly remote so our last supplies run was at Walnut Cove 10 miles outside the park. Our site#33 was spacious but need leveling to make things right, which the same for all campsites here. From our site, it was short walk to centralized comfort station (showers/toilets/sinks) but it is a throwback to 1930s; showers are 2x2 solitary confinement cell with no hooks to hang a tower nor shelve for soap box! And why put 2 antique urinals in single person space? Tired of no cell signal to make/receive calls, we moved site#58 few days later. Beside weak LTE/3G signal at the new site which we still able to make/receive calls, comfort station is a bit more spacious, especially the shower stalls and even have wooden bench for your stuffs while showering. WiFi maybe had at Visitor Center and nowhere else. This campground has no dump station, and that will put a kink in your week long stay. Trash/recycle receptacles were reasonable spaced, the same with fresh water spigots. Beach is accessible by short hike from parking lot, same with fishing pier. Most of days that we were there, thick blanket of fog covered entire park. Gate lock between 10PM and 7AM felt like unnecessary detention, and will be different for other months. So if you make appointment early in Winston-Salem, you are screwed. Would we come back? Probably not. read more

Climber's Review: Hanging Rock is climbing gem of the south. It offers some seriously fun climb and outdoor experiences. This is a great warmer weather climbing area, as the only wall s currently open to climbing are north facing. Be prepared to be cold if you come on a cold fall, or winter day. The trail to the walls are well established and easy to use. There is a special climbers parking lot that is located outside of the standard park entrance. Make sure to fill out the free climbing form. Things to Note: This is Traditional Area. So I'd recommend this for only people with a good deal of experience with outdoor climbing. I would relate this to climbing out west at Eldorado Canyon State Park in CO. The rock is pretty cool. On the right days the rock will feel like velcro and you can scamper up anything. It also host a lot of awesome overhanging trad routes. Lots of cool formations. Beware some of the cracks can eat gear and rope. The Amphitheater is good place to go if it is your first time to the area. You can do some single pitch climbs if you have 70M rope. For bigger multipitch routes head down to the Sentinel Buttress. For Camping, we stayed in the park and it was really nice. They had big camp-sights, and nice bath houses (Showers and Food washing stations). It was $20 a night, which for us came out to be $5 buck a person not a bad deal if you come in a group. notes for climber: 1st -Be prepared for anything here. Things are not well documented. Rap Stations can hidden or made up of old TAT. There are rarely if any bolted Anchors or rap stations. 2nd - Climbing isn't seen as a big part of the activities of the park. Be polite and courtesy to the park staff and other hikers. I really hope the Park officials see the great potential and legitimately climbing can have in their park and allow climbing at the other closed walls. read more

Wonderful hike watch out for copperheads! Very friendly fellow hikers truly loved the day even my 15 year old son who is a gamer hiked with the family and he raved about how much he enjoyed the hike! Took our family dog pet friendly environment! read more

See all

Really nice park with breathtaking views. We took the steps to the top and the whole family loved it. Even my 9 year old where so excited they didn't complain the walking. read more

Hanging Rock State Park is a great option for those in the North Carolina Piedmont up for a hike but don't want to drive all the way out to the mountains. There are plenty of trails available to hikers of all skill levels as well as camping options and swimming spots. Stop by the information center first, well maintained with good bathrooms, and eager rangers to talk about options and help with directions. If you have never been to the park before it is pretty quintessential to go up Hanging Rock Trail. Just over a mile, but pretty straight up and down. It is well maintained and VERY well traveled. The only reason for the four stars is because of the crowds, if you don't like crowds be sure to talk to rangers about less traveled trails and clear away from the main parking lot. Again great option for Piedmont hiking! read more

Went on the last Sunday in August to hike the Moores Knob Loop. I arrived around 10am and had the trail to myself the whole way to the lookout tower. read more

enjoyed hiking and then cooling off at the lake! for an outdoor lover, this was the perfect activity duo for a park to have.

The Park is beautiful. Lots of beautiful trails, they are not all that difficult to walk either, just bring water. The small lake is nice, it has a beach with swimming, a refreshment stand plus a rental area for small boats and kayaks. We stayed at the campground which was very quiet. The reason for only 3 stars is the dirty bathroom/shower house, It also had roaches on the walls and floors. I know it is a campground and bugs will be around but the bath-house should be sprayed and kept clean for these things which it was not. read more

Beautiful scenery once you get to the top of the rock. Very intense climb both up and down. I suggest a walking stick to help take some of the load off. Worth every stride of the 2.6 miles round-trip hike. read more

I used to come here as a kid but now live in Raleigh, 2 hours away. It's a great day trip. The drive to the park takes you thru beautiful countryside with rolling meadows with wild flowers. I had never hiked up Hanging Rock and did that. Not going to lie, it's a tough hike if you are out of shape like me. Lots and lots of steep steps. I would be concerned about taking small children up the Hanging Rock trail because their is a lot of danger there with the drop off. The hike was rough for me but absolutely worth it. Visited the beautiful waterfall at the Lower Cascades trail. Awesome place! Take lots of water with you. read more

Hanging Rock is convenient to those in the Piedmont area and offers great views without requiring too much time and effort. The Hanging Rock Trail, the trail you must complete, is a steep 1.3 miles from the parking lot with the visitor's center (not the swimming area). Beyond that there are several flatter trails that take you to waterfalls, each a few miles or less. read more

This is a park that has a lot to offer. Great campgrounds (family and group, RV and tent), cabins. Lots of great hiking trails with breathtaking views, a lake to swim in, waterfalls. We stayed there at a group campsite, which was very nice and clean. Our site was big enough to host all 14 of us, and we could have definitely added more. For $4 per person per night you can't go wrong. Each site has a water pump, also 2 fire pits, one of which is equipped with a grate, and a tall fire grill. Cooking was easy and hassle free. There are a couple outhouses and an actual bathroom at the group campground. A nice field for activities. The ranger was very friendly and welcoming, she gave us a map of the park and highlighted cool things to see. We went to Lower Cascades (she said those were the prettiest ones) and to Moore's Knob. It had a tower on top with an amazing view of the entire park. Definitely will be back and explore more, also might try to stay in cabins during colder months. They are heated and have running water and electricity. read more

This review is of the campground at Hanging Rock State Park. Just got home from a 3 night camping trip to this park, very satisfied with our stay. Camped in site 55 which is near the second of 2 bathhouses in the campground. The campsite was large the tent pad was decent but had a lot of large rocks in it, the fire ring on this site was worn and almost completely rusted through on the bottom of the ring. The grills are attached to the fire rings and sadly the one at this site was missing 2 bars from the actual grill grate making it kinda hard to use for cooking, other sites appeared to have newer upgraded grill/fire rings. The sites have plenty of room between them giving you privacy. We were at the park the week of 4th of July leaving on the 3rd, the campground was no where near capacity, but wasn't empty either. The campground host was friendly and checked in with us shortly after arrival, they also have firewood available at $5 per bundle from the host site. The bathrooms/showers were in good repair and were CLEAN! Showers are individual private stalls with doors/curtains had good water pressure and had hot water, these are NOT coin operated as I've seen in other parks so no need to rush, but you will notice this is well water and you'll hear the pump running so conservation is still a good thing to keep in mind. There are mirrors with electrical outlets for hairdryers etc. over the sinks and it was always stocked with toilet paper, paper towels, and hand soap. There are large sinks behind the bathhouses for washing dishes. They have several spigots along the road throughout the campground with drinking water. Easy access to the park hiking trails and the beach that they have built on the lake ($6 per person for the day) at the lake they have lifeguards/staff on hand and a concession stand for lite snacks and drinks. No alcohol is allowed in the park at anytime. I will definitely be returning to this campground again. read more

Hanging Rock State Park: Cabins, Hiking, Swimming, Waterfalls, Wildlifel, Cell Service, Supplies First off, I give my experience 5 stars. This was the best vacation ever. Now, here's all the information you need to make an informed decision on whether or not you want to rent a cabin at the park, or, if you already have, all of the info you want and maybe then some. About the cabins and cabin road: There are 10 cabins on cabin road, all on the same side of the road. On the other side of the road are conveniently and strategically placed trash cans, recycling bin, and community campfire rings. Cabin road isn't close enough to walk to the visitors center or the lake (unless you're hiking), but is very close to the tent camping area and camp host. If you arrive before 4:45 you check in at the visitor's center. If you arrive after, you follow the "Family Campground" sign, stop at the kiosk ant tells you what to do. Cabins 1 through 6 are older and 7 and 8 look newer and 9 and 10 even newer. Cabins 1 through 7 have more shade. Cabins 9 and 10 appeared to me to be completely in the sun. Each cabin had enough space and trees between them to feel private, except nin and 10. 2 families looking to camp very closely together might like cabins 9 and 10. Behind cabin 10 there is a very large rock for children to climb on. In the same area is a great place for bike riding and scooter riding. The cabin will have a screened in porch, some on the front and some on the back. I was in cabin 6. It had a front screened in porch with a large bench and 2 rocking chairs. The size of the cabin was ample for 6 people. Kitchen area with an apartment size refrigerator, regular size range, a 70\30 sink, medium size microwave and full-size coffee maker and plenty of storage and countertop space. There is a Pyrex service for 6, several plastic drinking glasses, Pyrex coffee cups, 2 large serving bowls, a liquid measuring cup, a pitcher, cutting board, 1 large bread knife, 1 paring knife, a couple of large plastic spoons, a plastic spatula, a handheld can opener and a potato masher. There are 2 medium size cooking pots, 1 lid, 1 frying pan, 1 flat frying pan. There is no toaster and there is no colander. There is flatware for 6 with some serving pieces. The dining area seats 6, and the living area seats 5 or 6 with a full size fold out couch bed. There are 2 bedrooms with 2 twin beds. The beds have foot boards. Those of us over 6 foot tall understand why this is important to mention. There is a full-size bathroom with ample space and a tiny shower. Water is hot. The only storage in the bathroom is a medicine cabinet. When we arrived there was 1 roll of hotel quality toilet paper. After that we had to supply our own. The kitchen will have a few poor quality trash bags. You will want to bring your own tall kitchen bags. The bathroom and bedrooms have a few poor quality trash bags. Electrical outlets: 1 in the kitchen, 2 in the living room, 1 in each bedroom and 1 in the bathroom. Storage: There is ample storage in the kitchen and each bedroom and a large storage area in the common area. AC: The air conditioning works exceptionally well. I like it cool and was able to keep the cabin at 67°. Lighting is poor throughout the cabin, even during the day when all of the shades are open. All living room windows and bedroom windows have 2 inch blinds. The kitchen has no blinds on the windows but they are high up at head level. The photos make it appear that the mattresses are bunkie boards but we had full size mattresses and box springs. All mattresses and box springs had bedbug encasements on them. I cannot tell you about the mattress on the sofa. The twin mattresses were firm and slept a little hot. Still, I slept well. The website photos make the living room furniture look uncomfortable but it was very comfortable. We never once found any type of bug inside our cabin. Each cabin has a picnic table and grill. How new the cabin is depends on the type of grill it has. About cell service and Wi-Fi: The website says there is Wi-Fi at the visitor center and you can go ahead and hook up to it however I could not do anything on their Wi-Fi. At the cabins there is 1 bar signal for AT&T and Verizon. You will be able to send and receive messages, check email and do some light browsing and post pics (but probably not videos) on social media. You may break up during a phone call. Service on the trails is the same but much better at the top of mountains. Service is weaker at the visitor center parking lot and there is zero service at the lake beach. About hiking: Get a park map, study it and take it with you. It will be your best friend on the trail because the trail signs can be confusing at intersections. This park had enough trails to keep us busy for 7 days. Moore's Knob was our favorite and is rated as strenuous, probably because of the many steps, but I would've rated moderate. The Hanging Rock Trail is shorte read more

We rented 4 cabins in a row for a family vacation. We had 3 generations, with ages 9 months to 63 years! The cabins were clean, had nice screened porches, and good AC. The setting was woodsy and private. The kitchen was adequately stocked for basic cooking, and the beds were ok (not great, but again adequate.) The park itself was lovely, with many trails from easy to strenuous. We went to 3 different waterfalls as well as the large lake. The trails were well-marked. As for the lake, we were happy there were lifeguards on duty and a nice snack bar. We were taken aback that we had to pay to swim there, despite having paid to rent cabins. (Not like recent stays in VA state parks, where it is included.) Overall I think Hanging Rock was a good choice for outdoorsy family fun, from making s'mores over the firepit to doing scavenger hunts in the woods. read more

Awesome place to go hiking and to take the family. Traffic from fellow hikers was very heavy in some areas throughout the trails. If you are typically introverted and want to enjoy the sounds of the nature be prepared to hear the life stories of the people surrounding you if you go on a busy day. There are spots to grill at with in house grills if you bring your own charcoal/wood. read more

This is an easy drive for a day hike from Charlotte. We hiked about 8 miles. Moderate trails can be quite strenuous in places. We also met a timber rattler stretched out across the trail coming back down from Cooks Wall. He was fairly lazy and slow moving so we had to wait for him to get off the trail before we could proceed. I also heard their rattles 3 or 4 other times up in that same area between House Rock and Cooks Wall. Beautiful views from those overlooks though. Just be careful and be aware that they are there. Lots of free parking and clean restrooms in the visitors center. Fairly exposed on the upper trails so it will be hot in the summer. We were there in April. read more

Beautiful park close to home. Lots of activities like camping fishing swimming (summer) and of course hiking. Great for any weekend outdoors fun with the kids. read more

I'm was going to echo all of Christina L.'s review, but you can scroll down and read it just like I did :) I will add that we took our dog with us and it was a great fit for her. In fact I think that she thinks we took her on a vacation! We didn't have any kind of plan ahead of time, but the staff in the visitor's center took great care of us. They gave us a map (which we really didn't end up using because the signs are so helpful) and they suggested trails for us based on how much time we had to spend and whether we wanted an easy or more difficult hike. We went on a weekday and didn't have any problems at all with crowds - in fact there were quite a few times when my husband and I just sat and enjoyed the quiet trail. But the parking lot is absolutely huge and I would imagine if that was full of cars it would be a much different experience. Sharing certain parts of the trail - and having to wait/compete for the best view/picture at the top would have ruined some of it for me. Overall a fantastic park and we will be back - on a weekday for sure. read more