KFF-2735 Hanging Rock State Park

 I had another weekend off, so decided to go somewhere farther away for a run. I chose Hanging Rock SP, up near Winston-Salem. It was just past noon when I got there, and the main lot was full. Lucky for me, there was plenty of space at the lot up the hill.

The lake.

My route to the summit of Moore's Knob first took me by around part of the lake. There were plenty of people on the trail, and even some fishermen. On the other side, I found my way through the campground and the trail on the other side. This is where the stairs started.

So many stairs.

The trail up to the summit is basically a long staircase. It was a bit tedious going up, but was probably the right choice for tread considering how many people use it. I passed a lot of groups going up and down. The summit was pretty busy, and I was surprised no one was wearing masks despite being so close to other people. 

From the summit tower. This would be better on a weekday.

I didn't really want to talk to people about radio, so I found a small clearing a short distance off the trail to set up in. My antenna was put up pretty badly, all sorts of weird angles when it went over or under tree branches. Despite this I still worked Europe on 20m and plenty of W/VE stations on all three bands. 

The old reliable MTR 3B.

Once I had worked everyone, I headed down the other side of the mountain for the rest of my loop. This side had many fewer people, at least until I got down to the col. Here there were a bunch of boulderers, and even some horseback riders. After running through the woods some, I returned to the col and headed up towards Devil's Chimney. There were people enjoying the many viewpoints along the ridge, but still plenty of space for me to have my own.

Sauratown Mountain and Pilot Mountain.

I refilled my water bottles, then headed down to Hanging Rock, which the park is named after. The trail from the parking lot to the top of the rock is a wide trail with many people. So many people. Again, this would probably be better on a weekday with fewer people. After tagging the summit of the rock, I headed back to the parking lots. 

The trail runs under Hanging Rock before looping around to the summit.

This park was pretty nice, but super busy. In a few weeks when the leaves come in and the rhododendron start blooming it will probably be even nicer. Some day I'll be in the south when the rhododendron are in full bloom. I always seem to be there a little too early or late.