Chimney Rock State Park @ Lake Lure is back OPEN again y'all, and you should visit. They do reservations now (hourly timeslot), but I believe if you just show up that's fine too as long as their parking isn't full.
And, there's an elevator to the top (which isn't really the top, there's still 300 more ft up to walk for the full experience, and THEN it's closed above that)

>>2828102 (OP)
Thanks for the notice. I've ben planning a road trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway and now this is gonna be one of my stops. Looking forward to camping out at Wiseman's View in that area too and trying to see the Brown Mountain lights

>>2828106
um do you have a truck
I was just there (wiseman's view), the road is totally fucked m80
I mean you can do it if you have AWD and an suv or truck but there's big washouts and ridges its just not a fun drive and it was super crowded when i was there (admittedly a holiday weekend)

also wiseman's view looks kinda meh from photos
do hawksbill mtn if you have the legs for it - I swear I remember seeing a burnt out campfire at the summit but I don't know if you can camp there

>trying to see the Brown Mountain lights

>I've ben planning a road trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway
a lot of it is still shut down but the pretty parts west/east of asheville are open just plug it into google maps and it routes you around the closures
when i was there a mexican family SLAMMED their dodge charger into the stone wall that like borders the road and the cops were there - they all looked unharmed
tow truck passed me on my way out
pro-tip: don't bother with the blue ridge parkway between nc/va border and roanoke - the good stuff is closed and the rest is no good views (the part north of roanoke is nice though esp apple orchard falls if you haven't seen that)
>and now this is gonna be one of my stops
don't forget the blowing rock and grandfather mountain they both cost money but are nice
and if you head SW the tallulah gorge and brasstown bald are gr8

>>2828102 (OP)
All those trees are gone though

>>2828102 (OP)
>staircase
looks incredibly gay tourist attraction

>>2828113
there's 300 more ft of steps after the staircase if you would like a challenge - and there used to be a longer trail up on the ridge leading all the way back down but that's still closed
and you can also do steps from the bottom so its more like 600-700 ft total maybe if you just do steps - or there's an elevator to the staircase u see

>>2828109
Yeah I've got a truck, I'm expecting it to be hairy. I'll check out Hawksbill, I think its still in the backcountry so camping should be allowed, I'll have to check. I know a lot will be closed, I'm still a long ways out from being able to do it so I'm hoping it'll be steadily repaired by the time I can actually get the opportunity. Blowing Rock and Grandfather noted, I'll look into them. Thanks for the tips

>>2828121
>so I'm hoping it'll be steadily repaired by the time
I was out at red river gorge after they had a big flood a few years ago and the road re-grader was ALREADY out doing its job on the dirt road to the main waterfall they have a few days after the flood
I wouldn't expect anything soon
I also enjoyed whitewater falls which is an easy walk near the sc border
also it sorta seems like they reopened cloudland on roan mountain (the easy way to pretty) but it might not be 100% open yet - will be if you aren't going till fall or later
and unaka mountain is a driveable dirt road with nice overlooks off of it (beauty spot is a short short hike, and I forget the name of the one down the road where its a park-and-view)
and if you haven't seen max patch I recommend that - the road is ok just a lot of dirt road also kinda a maze make sure you have a gps/map
oh and whiteside mountain was fun as well there's two ways up steps or old road to a buncha little nice views up on a ridge on the continental divide

>elevator
>stairs
>view of some road
It never ceases to amaze me the sorts of disney park shit east-of-the-rockies considers /out/

>>2828128
the view is of a gorge on the other side if you take the stairs up beyond the elevator

>>2828102 (OP)
lol only in fucking america do you put a flag on top of a natural wonder. god you people are so egotistical its unreal. also that looks like a pretty shit ass lake imo.
>t. canadachad

Buy an ad

>>2828145
anon it got shrekt by 25 inches of rain during hurricane helene so they drained the lake, they are still clearing out debris

>>2828128
Those are containment zones anon. Here's another Chimney Rock, with a similar overlook and American flag, without the touristy shit on top
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/pennsylvania/chimney-rock-trail
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/pennsylvania/bull-run-trail

>>2828145
Nobody cares about India

>>2828102 (OP)
Their website literally says they're CLOSED.

>>2828186
Lol but that one kinda sucks cuz like you have to narrowly go around the flag and have it whipping in your face to get a photo without the flag in it and you are standing at the edge of a steep cliff with no railing at all

also other chimney rock is like 400 ft of steep from where the trail turns downhill to the flag
t. has done both chimney rocks

>>2828191
It just reopened June 27th

>>2828193
Anon, it says three different times on their website that they are CLOSED.

>>2828194
Which place are you talking about?

usatoday.com/story/news/local/2025/07/02/chimney-rock-state-park-reopening-brings-hope-for-western-nc/84443951007/

Chimney Rock just reopened a week ago. You should call them if you aren't sure. Also you can make reservations online for tickets if you wanna be extra sure.

It's possible they haven't fully updated their website.

>>2828129
why didnt you post that picture?

>>2828194
Doge fired the web admin

>>2828193
>and you are standing at the edge of a steep cliff with no railing at all
>acting like that's a bad thing

Pine Creek Gorge always delivers and this is no exception. I hiked up from Highway 414 (Bull Run and Chimney Rock trails) and only saw one person, on a Saturday in the summertime. A comparable hike in other parts of the northeast and east would be overrun with people.

>>2828260
Now, usually, I don't do this, but I'm going to break you off with a preview of the remix.
And you are STILL gonna complain cuz there's a road visible.

>>2828265
hiking up from the road is INSANE
there's a dirt road that takes you closer to the view (by car)
I do wonder if there's a "direct route" for scrambling just from the bottom straight up without taking the official trails.
I do love Pine Creek - but not in July - I've done that and it's just too darn hot. But there's lots of views of Pine Creek I haven't done as well as a gorge view of the Sinnemahoning River that I wanna do too.
I also bought TWO books about Northern PA hiking written by the guy who owns Pine Creek Outfitters. There's just so much public land in PA - too bad a lot of the views aren't really cleared/maintained.

>>acting like that's a bad thing
correct, everywhere should have low metal railings at the edge for safety! and so you can brace if its windy to take pictures

>>2828102 (OP)
they closed the cool caves apparently so no thanks

>>2828303
eh wild caves aren't my thing
apparently there's this other (better imho) view on shumont mountain which is kinda >>2828281
to the right of the photo in pic related a few miles away but the access road is through a planned community so it may be trespassing to access. it looks like from the alltrails map there is a parking area on public property - and the land is owned by chimney rock state park - but I'm not sure if its legal to access eagle rock on shumont mountain
I emailed them and haven't heard back yet. I guess I could email chimney rock directly (I emailed an employee for nc state parks)

>>2828281
>hiking up from the road is INSANE
I wouldn't say it was easy, but it wasn't horrible either. The humidity was the worst part. I then hiked a couple more trails around Slate Run that gave me 3-4k total vert for the day.

>books about Northern PA hiking
Does it contain any info that can't be found online?

>correct, everywhere should have low metal railings at the edge for safety!
People need to be responsible for their own safety

>>2828366
>but it wasn't horrible either.
as someone who has seen how far down it is from the top of the trail to the bottom I'd say 1100 ft is a lot of UP to me
>The humidity was the worst part.
PA is a no-go zone in July and early August but FUG is it nice in September (except the nettles - bring pants)

>I then hiked a couple more trails around Slate Run
Impressive, if I had your stamina I have a number of secret overlooks I want to tackle, well not secret but basically theoretical trails that have names and lead to places but are annoying to get to and the view is probably somewhat overgrown since they haven't been popular since the 1950s and 1960s

There's some trails near the Black Forest trail I want to try that promise good views.

>Does it contain any info that can't be found online?
I sure hope so. I will read them and get back to you.

>People need to be responsible for their own safety
They have railings at the main Leonard Harrison State Park. It's annoying to be out on a narrow ledge and have no support. It can't be that hard to build a low railing.

>>2828387
>I'd say 1100 ft is a lot of UP to me
It's decent for PA but not a whole lot if you're used to climbing serious mountains in the Adirondacks and New England.

>PA is a no-go zone in July and early August
It does get hot and humid then. And if you hike in the early morning hours, the relative humidity is usually higher. The mugginess was downright oppressive on the Houselander Trail when I hiked it a few summers ago.

>secret overlooks I want to tackle
I'm always looking for new ideas so if you have something you don't feel like doing, I could hike there in the future and post the photos here.

>Leonard Harrison State Park
I've only encountered railings in the state parks which is how it should be. In places without them, you still can get a decent view while standing a few feet back in most cases.

>>2828393
>I'm always looking for new ideas
oh gosh I have all sorts of tasks for you then!
gimme a few days and I will make a nice big list

honestly ive done many hikes here because /out/ mentioned them

>you still can get a decent view while standing a few feet back in most cases.
NOT ALWAYS
I found that to not really be the case at chimney rock you had to be in FRONT of the flag to get the best view so you had to stand RIGHT on a narrow ledge braced against a flagpole with the darn flag whipping your face in the wind

there are so many "theoretical hikes" where there could be a view (there is the prominence to have one) but the trees may be totally blocking it and I can't know for sure without a long ass drive + hike

Baldwin Point has been burning a hole in my brain since I saw it marked on the state forest map. I believe its in the Sproul state forest. The only source of information I have about it is this wonderful blog if you haven't read it and you love northern pa you should:

https://endlessmountains.wordpress.com/2018/04/17/baldwin-point-trail-tiadaghton-state-forest/

In the photos the view looks kinda overgrown and this is with no foliage on the trees so maybe it doesn't really exist anymore but if you look on a map its a very prominent spot over a long winding creek so it would be very pretty if you could see it. I also want to see if you can shortcut the trail by parking where Game Refuge Trail meets benson rd. - instead of parking further away on highway 44 and taking the designated baldwin point trail the whole way.

>>2828393

I also want to see if you can get to flat top vista above mehoopany creek sort of east of ricketts glen from the SW by hiking up the "stony brook" tributary vs taking the alltrails-designated logging road:
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/pennsylvania/flat-top-raven-rock-vista-and-ledges-vis-hidden-passage-trail

which did not work for me because the trail was too fucked - it was just endless deadfall (downed trees) and too steep to go around
and there might be other views in that area but there's no road to the top of that mountain so it's little explored cuz its steep as fuck but it is public land (sgl) mostly up top

there's also a patch of old growth conifers at the top on the ridge wnw of the main view

>>2828396
>this wonderful blog if you haven't read it
It's an outstanding resource, I agree. It's one of my go-to sources for Northern PA hiking along with Myhikes and Purple Lizard.

>Baldwin Point
That looks like a quick out-and-back that I could do from the spacious Trout Run parking area off Route 44. From there, it's a little under 5 miles round-trip (via the T-Squared and Baldwin Point trails) with only a few hundred feet of elevation change. Then I can start my real hiking on the other side of the highway.

>>2828397
>east of ricketts glen
That's a bit outside of my usual weekend driving range. Maybe I'll check it out if I'm out that way sometime in the future.

>>2828400
>That's a bit outside of my usual weekend driving range.
I guess you must be coming from the west or south or something but it isn't that much further from Trout Run or any of that.
>That looks like a quick out-and-back that I could do from the spacious Trout Run parking area off Route 44.
but do you mind trying it from that little vertical-ish red line where benson rd meets the red line and it says .5 mi - I am big on shortcuts - but I dunno if the trail is passable or the view is even worth it

>>2828424
That half-mile trail is labeled "Game Refuge Trail". Even if I don't make it my starting point, it wouldn't be much of a detour from the T2-Baldwin junction.

I live west of both places. The second place is close to Scranton which might as well be in New Jersey as far as I am concerned.

>>2828436
>Even if I don't make it my starting point, it wouldn't be much of a detour from the T2-Baldwin junction.
it would be so neat if you could check out though if I can actually park at the junction of game refuge trail and benson rd and if the trail is passable too - cuz 5 mi is a lot for me.

>I live west of both places.
ill try to think of some more western stuff but really with PA it kinda gets prettier the more you head east - until scranton and then it gets less pretty tho del water gap has some nice spots