Ryan found Stone Mountain State Park after doing a little research online. We decided to drive out to the park when we read that there was a loop that included views of a 200-foot waterfall.
The weather on Sunday was quite dreary, but the rain held off and the clouds kept some of the summertime heat at bay. It was great hiking weather and we saw lots of people and their dogs out and about on the trails.
We opted for the Stone Mountain Loop which took us on a 4.5 mile hike that included some serious inclines.
The hike started off quite easy with downhill or flat walking. Within five minutes we came upon the beautiful waterfall and stopped to take some photos.
The rushing water seemed to make Sadie a little nervous and she couldn’t decide whether she wanted to play in the water or sprint far, far away from it.
What a goof.
At the base of the trail we were able to check out an awesome view of Stone Mountain, the 600-foot granite dome we’d soon be climbing!
The trails on the Stone Mountain Loop were incredibly well maintained and for the first half of the hike, we thought the “strenuous” rating of the trail may have been a little overkill.
And then we started to hit the incline. PHEW. It was tough! (For anyone interested in this hike, we parked at the Upper Trailhead Lot and veered left at the trail to hike clockwise around the loop.)
At first we were cursing ourselves for hiking the loop in the direction we did, but by the end of our hike we were really happy we tackled the trail in a clockwise direction. Had we gone the other way, the incline would not have been as steep, but we would’ve had little previews of the view from the top. By hiking the way we did, we were pretty isolated from the views until we reached the summit and then we were absolutely blown away. It was worth the wait!
Hiking with Ryan and Sadie is my “happy place” and when it comes along with views like this, I am in heaven.
And yes, Ryan totally gave Sadie a high five at the summit for making it to the top of the mountain! She wasn’t the least bit fazed by the hike. That dog’s energy is on another level of amazing.
We copied some of the other hikers and took a little break at the summit to enjoy the views, relax and cool down a bit. We got pretty sweaty on our journey to the top!
As we made our way back down the mountain, Ryan and I agreed that we’ll have to make a few trips to the mountains this fall. It feels like such a treat to live within driving distance of some seriously incredible hiking!
Questions of the Afternoon
- Do you enjoy hiking? Where is your favorite place to hike?
I think some of the most stunning hiking I’ve ever done was in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Ryan and I went on a hiking trip with another couple a few years ago and that trip is actually what made us want to move to North Carolina one day!
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I love to go on hikes with my husband. Our favorite hikes are in Marin County, which looks back on the San Francisco Bay Area and the Golden Gate Bridge. I went to Stone Mountain as a family vacation when I was younger! So gorgeous! There’s nothing better than getting some exercise and enjoying great views with your man and your dog!
I gasped when I saw your instagram yesterday, everything is just SO green and gorgeous! How are the temps right now in North Carolina?
I’m not much of a hiker (because Texas is super flat and it wouldn’t be a hike as much as it would be a walk, haha!) but I’m visiting my best friend in Oregon this fall and have LOTS of hiking through gorgeous scenery planned!
They’ve been in the 70s! Amazing!
Wow – so beautiful! Cody and I LOVE hiking. In fact, that’s one of the things I miss the most about living in Utah … the hundreds and hundreds of gorgeous hiking trails. I am looking forward to the weather cooling off a bit in the coming months so we can take advantage of some of the hiking out here in Arizona … nothing like Utah’s hiking, but it’ll have to suffice!
This totally reminds me of Last of the Mohicans! I think parts of it were filmed there. So beautiful!
That was the first thing I thought of when I saw your pictures. Last of the Mochicans. So beautiful.
I love hiking! I live in upstate SC and we are close proximity to so many trails, I love it! We usually go with another couple and they have a husky who never seems to tire either!
Beautiful! Would you tell me what shoe you’re wearing? I’m in the market for some new ones.
New Balance 1400s!
What a beautiful hike! Love your pictures! We have so many hiking trails in the northwest but I don’t take advantage of them enough. My favorite place to hike was when I was in Maui. There are so many amazing views there!
From your instagram photos I thought you were in Stone Mountain, GA. It looks almost exactly the same! haha
I thought so too from the title! I never would have guessed there was another one.
This looks so fun! I want to go hiking some time– I’m going to tell my bf that we need to hunt for some good trails in upstate NY!
Ah, those views! Nothing like earning it and then enjoying it.
Wow what a beautiful place! You are so lucky to live in a place like that. Sadie is adorable x
I love hiking and am so glad I love in SC where the mountains are plentiful! I love Rainbow Falls, because (obviously) theres an awesome waterfall at the end of the grueling hike!
Hiking in Mohican State Forest was amazing. The trails range from easy to difficult and we had a blast hiking alongside the river, past some beautiful waterfalls and finally reaching the dam. Being outside and enjoying all that there is to offer is so rewarding and fun too!!
North Carolina looks beautiful and it’s where we would like to end up someday too!
Sadie cracks me up!! Sometimes the biggest dogs are the biggest babies. I have one of my own 😉
When I first saw this post I thought it was the Stone Mtn. in Atlanta, GA and I got really excited. I’m from ATL but currently living in CT and am missing home a bit. If you ever make a trip to Atlanta our Stone Mountain there is hike-able as well but it is really known for it’s laser light show, pretty awesome! Glad you had a great weekend.
I LOVE hiking but need to do it more often! The mountains are so close so I need to make it more of a priority! Your hike looked incredible! 🙂
What a beautiful hike! I love Sadie’s personality! She must always keep you on your toes! 😀
Haha she definitely does!
I love hiking too. Being so close to the rocky mountains, there’s tons of hikes close by. I don’t think I could pick just one that’s my favorite though.
Quite a bit different than Florida, huh?! Hiking is the best! There is also a Stone Mountain in Atlanta, I hadn’t heard of the one in NC before! You guys would love northwest Arkansas 🙂
North Carolina is one of my favorite places – due much to the gorgeous scenery, beautiful weather, and awesome outdoor activities. Hiking Stone Mountain was something we did as a family when I was much younger. I loved it then but I’d love to do it again! I’m sure I didn’t appreciate it at all back then!
If memory serves, I believe it’s a little further from you (in the Nantahala Forrest), but there’s a place called sliding rock that is SO fun to hike to and slide down. You should definitely look it up! Might make for a fun weekend hiking trip!
Hiking is awesome! I recently hiked Mt Percival/Mt Morgan in NH with my family and it had amazing views. It had a couple of sketchy parts where I felt like I was rock-climbing with no safety but thew views were totally worth it!
Hope you enjoyed your hike!
I like hiking, but don’t really get a chance to do it that often. Those views are awesome!
Sadie looks like she is holding on to you for dear life. Haha. The rocks look so smooth there. Are there any places where you can actually slide down the water/rocks like a water slide? We have a couple areas like that here in Oregon and your pictures look similar. What a cool area to go hiking. My favorite trails are up near South Sister in the Cascade Mountains. Smith Rock is also beautiful.
Unfortunately you aren’t allowed to slide. There were warning signs all over. :/
Lake Lure, NC is one of my favorite places. Gorgeous views, in the mountains, good hiking. They filmed Dirty Dancing there.
I’m loving your Charlotte posts! My husband, two kids and I moved here three weeks ago. I’m taking note of all the great restaurants and parks we should check out! I would love it if you could mention if you ever come across parks with kid-friendly (i.e. short and easy) or even stroller-friendly (i.e. paved or flat) hiking trails. Thanks!
I will definitely keep that in mind! We saw a lot of kids at this park but they were doing some of the shorter hikes. 🙂
I went to school in Boone, NC and we used to hike ALL the time. Some of the trail up Grandfather Mtn may be too hard for Sadie as you actually climb the mountain at points but its AWESOME!
I absolutely love hiking. There is something so gratifying about reaching a beautiful summit! I highly recommend any of the trails in Yosemite National Park in Northern California. None of the US National Parks have ever disappointed me!
My favorite hike was Table Rock, South Carolina, partly because we turned back the first time due to stormy weather, and partly because it was a strenuous but beautiful hike.
This summer we hiked in Santorini, Greece, and that was the most stunning hike I’ve ever done!
You’re going to LOVE Fall hikes in the mountains!! Have fun!
We’re moving to Winston-Salem, NC in just under two weeks – I’m so excited to check out all the national parks nearby! This is only an hour from us too!
We want to visit there! I’ve heard great things!!
When I saw your picture on Instagram, I thought you were at Stone Mountain by Atlanta. I had no idea there were 2!
Did you run at any point during the hike? I would love to go hiking, but it’s too hot in the summer!
No running!
Stone Mountain is beautiful! I’ve followed your blog for awhile now and thought it was SO crazy seeing you move to nc and recognizing many of the places you frequent now! I live about an hour outside of Charlotte. Some other beautiful places not far from Charlotte boasting great hikes/views are Rough Ridge (an easy and popular hike outside of Boone), Table Rock and Linville Gorge, and my favorite you must do if you haven’t already is the profile trail right by grandfather mountain called Calloway’s peak – and the weather up there is generally about 10 degrees cooler than the piedmont region. Enjoy exploring NC
Thank you for these recommendations!
Wow this place is absolutely breathtaking! I love the picture with you and Sadie! She is such a ham 🙂
I love hiking but haven’t done it NEARLY enough! I need to get more of it in my life!
Wow! I saw that and thought you were in Atlanta! We have our own Stone Mountain here that looks remarkably similar.
I was lucky enough to hike in the Rockies this weekend (out of town for a friend’s wedding) and I remembered just how amazing a good mountain trail can be. So relaxing, and the air really does feel fresher up there!
love your family photo! y’all are the most fun of pup parents! 🙂
Beautiful!
Most gorgeous hiking for me is with my family in the Swiss Alps. I love it there!
I am slowly starting to like hiking more and more (my boyfriend is very into it). One of my favorites is Breakneck Ridge in New York. The name pretty much sums up its difficulty, but the views are unbeatable!
I love hiking! I live in Zurich, Switzerland, so I have the gorgeous alps right outside my city… my favorite place to go is probably Flims-Laax, for hiking, biking and snowboarding in the winter as well…
I’m not a huge fan of hiking, but I do enjoy nature; with that being said, that waterfall was amazing. Glad you guys are enjoying your new home.
Haven’t been to Stone Mountain yet but hoping to go there to ride the horse trails soon!
You all need to go to Asheville, NC sometime and visit the Biltmore. Then, try Tupelo Honey Café, The Mustard Seed, and The Chocolate Café. 🙂 I LOVE Asheville!
i just love sadie! her energy seems contagious 🙂
Sadie is such a ham … she makes me laugh out loud. And such a skinny girl!
What a beautiful hike! My husband and I are secretly dying to move to NC. Both of our families are in Florida but we still want to live somewhere that has seasonal changes and great hiking. NC seems like a perfect spot!
We live in Northern California right now and the hiking here is pretty amazing. The best one had to be in South Lake Tahoe. If you guys ever get a chance to go to Tahoe, check out the Bayview trail. It’s absolutely stunning!
Oh my! SUCH gorgeous views!!
Beautiful! I love hiking with my friends on the weekends! I went to school in Nova Scotia (Canada), and there’s a beautiful hiking trail with breathtaking view at Cape Split.
I’ve hiked Stone Mountain in GA but not in NC! My aunt, uncle, and cousins that live in Huntersville love Grandfather Mountain that’s nearby. They talk about riding their bikes there a lot, but I’m sure there are some hiking trails you could check out!
I love hiking! It is such a great way to disconnect, get out and explore, exercise without even knowing it! My favorite spots are in Malibu!
That looks like a beautiful hike!
Just wondering what type of shoe you recommend for things like Zumba. I have a hard time finding sneakers I love that aren’t crazy expensive!