Hike to Party Rock
Lake Lure, North Carolina
Details
Distance
2.4 miles
Elevation Gain
1549 ft
Route Type
Out-and-Back
Description
Added by Kelley Dodge
Hike up to a beautiful overlook of Lake Lure. 180 degree views are by far the best in the area, plus there is a waterfall to reward you at the top!
This hike is a strenuous 2.4 miles that takes about 1.5 hours to complete. The trail is not maintained--it is an old logging road--so there are lots of loose rocks and you frequently have to hop over the washout/creek. However, the difficulty on the way up is extremely rewarding at the top!
The trailhead is the natural continuation of Carson Way – up the hill located to the left of the entry gate for Blue Heron Point. Once up the hill, it turns into a dirt road. Follow the dirt road approximately 200 yards and you will see a trail (another dirt road) entering from the left. Turn left.
Follow this trail up, up, and up some more. There are nice views of you peek between the trees on the way up. About 15-20 minutes in you will see a big washout with a tree over it – take the left side detour which bypasses the really washed out area and then gets you back on the main trail. At about 40 minutes in, you will see an old pickup truck dangling from a tree on the left side of the trail (you can't miss it).
About 5 more minutes on the main trail past the truck and you will see another trail entering on the left. Take this left turn for about 75 yards (the first downhill of the day) and you will see why this trail is worth the effort. As you approach the granite face you’ll see the finger of the lake by the beach and then when fully on the rock it’s like the whole world opens up. Beautiful views of all of Lake Lure, and if you walk to the right of the open face you will run into the waterfall.
Note that there is no official parking and the trail is a social trail so it is not well-maintained. The beginning portion of the trail also falls on private property...no we talked to said there have ever been complaints, but be respectful!
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Hike to Party Rock Reviews
Have lived in lake lure for 15 years and had never been to party rock. There was a large wildfire here in fall 2016, and wanted to see how it was recovering. To get there, It’s seriously uphill uphill and more uphill then a small descent to the rock. The view from the top is amazing. The waterfall is off to the right of the rock if you’re standing looking towards lake. Not spectacular when we were there, but prob would be cool after a heavy rain. Better views can likely be obtained by doing a Little Rock scrambling but we were too wiped out to do anymore. Lol. All in all definitely worth the climb.
4.0
Many thanks to the original poster for this hike! Your detailed directions and trail description was super helpful. We went up for a weekend to be with friends whose family has had a lake cabin for 50 years on lake lure and they had never heard of party rock. So thanks for cluing us in! The very strenuous climb up was so worth all the sweat! This is a fantastic work out with views that span for 30 miles or more. It was stunning!
5.0
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