Fitnessroadie

By Beth Foster: April 17, 2025

Edge of Hanging Rock

Hanging Rock State Park is by far, one of my favorite places to visit for outdoor activities! It has trails, a man-made beach, a lake, a river, numerous waterfalls and plenty of room for hiking, biking, horseback riding and rock climbing to name a few. This time go’ round I decided to only do the Hanging Rock Trail, which has changed since the last time that I was here. The trail used to be 1.3 miles going one way and a round-trip total of 2.6 miles; with the difficulty of the trail being moderate. Currently, the trail has changed to about 1.8 miles going one way and a round-trip total of around 4 miles; with the difficulty of the trail being easy.

I am not sure as of yet, if I am a fan of the new trail, but I will figure that out in due time. The trail starts near the top parking lot of the visitor center which is along 1005 Visitor Center Drive. Initially, the trail takes you down a long flight of steps and that slowly turns to gravel, then to dirt and then to rock! Along the trail we came across quartzite rock formations which at times looked almost like gold! My mom and I put a few of the rocks in our backpacks because we admired them so much.

The day we hiked the trail it was so windy and there were lots of people on the trail as well! I could hardly wait to reach the top of the trail, which leads to the hanging rock!

Top of Hanging Rock

The views were absolutely amazing!

Hanging Rock State Park is located within the Sauratown Mountain Range and is often referred to as the mountains away from the mountains. I say this because it is not to be confused with the Blue Ridge Mountains.

I think the most excited one to reach the top was my service animal (dog) Charlie lol. She posed for the camera several times, but this picture is my favorite one.

Charlie on top of Hanging Rock

We took lots of pictures and videos of this incredible site and after about 30 minutes we decided to head back to the visitors parking lot. I was so proud of my mother and Charlie! Next time that we come to Hanging Rock State Park we will do some of the waterfalls. Until next time remember to stay fit and God bless!

My Mom

You can watch a video of this experience below: