Who would have thought that the Q Family Adventures will be so adventurous!
We have done camping and backyard hiking and now walking up Chimney Rock!!!
We just came back from our weekend/business trip in Asheville – which by the way IS a wonderful place to visit. There will be more Asheville posts coming.
It’s one of those spontaneous detour. We originally wanted to go canoeing but after woke up at 4:30 am to leave the house we thought we wouldn’t have the energy to do it.
Little did we know that walking up the Chimney Rock is as hard or even harder than floating on a canoe!
We arrived there early and almost missed the entrance. It is in a quaint town near Lake Lure. We parked the car and thought that we had to walk up to the park but quickly realized that we need to drive up to ticket and entrance.
The ticket information is about 1 mile from the highway so unless you are die-hard hiker just proceed with your car.
After we paid and followed the map to the base parking lot, we parked and got ready to walk up the 200+ steps up to the top of the rock.
There are several paths you can take to explore this park. So what we did was just one thing of many available options.
The path itself was very shade and not THAT hard if you take regular break to enjoy the view.
We did take a lot of break and checked out most of the view points because after all we did climb approximately more than 200+ steps up the mountain.
Now, for parents with small kids don’t worry. You can easily take an elevator up to the top and enjoy the view as well.
The view on the top is amazing. You can see Lake Lure down below and the mountain in the background. I could imagine how beautiful this will be in Fall.
Yes! We are talking about going back there again soon. Most importantly, I was so proud of Miss J and Mr. Z. They both did very well. There were no whining or asking daddy to pick them up. What a trooper!
Family Tips:
- I find it easier to walk up than going down. So take the path to go up and then take the elevator to go down.
- There aren’t many choices for food. So pack your lunch to picnic in various picnic tables around the park.
- Take it slowly. Enjoy the view while taking the break from the climb.
- If you plan to revisit within a year buy an annual pass. It will pay for itself after the 2nd visit.
Check out other travelers’ Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, that looks awesome! The view is incredible! Sometimes those last-minute trips turn out to be the best, huh? So glad to meet you in Asheville, and I’m really looking forward to keeping up with your family’s travel adventures! :)
that looks like SO MUCH FUN! i am so happy they have an elevator – i have several disabilities and can’t walk much, let alone climb even a few stairs. yay for them!
It looks gorgeous and fun! I am always so impressed with your family trips. I’m exhausted just planning and preparing for them.
I’m always happy to learn about kid-friendly hikes anywhere – I file them away just in case I happen to be in that neighborhood. So thanks for the recommendation – and good job to your kids.
Looks like lots of fun and lots of stairs:) We keep meaning to explore the Asheville area. I would especially like to visit during the fall since I have heard the leaves are very pretty.
your kids are terrific for doing this and enjoying it. Looks like a hike but what a view!
That looks like a great little hike! The view is awesome!
I loved seeing your photos. I was just in the Smoky Mountains and I didn’t make it to Chimney Tops so I was so excited to see your photos. We did several hikes and I just loved the area. So much beauty! Thanks for sharing.
Your family trips are always so adventurous. It’s great to keep kids active and hiking in such good surroundings is certainly a good way to do it. I love the photos.
Wow – those pics are amazing!
That looks like so much fun! My husband has a hard time with stairs, so the elevator sounds like a good thing. Your kids are so cute!
No whining and no pick-ups…that’s a double high-five moment for a feat like this!
Wow, you are becoming great adventurers! I agree with your tip, going up is always much easier than coming back down. That looks like a wild rock. Such beautiful landscape, I will admit that I would actually love to climb that rock, there must be some seriously excellent climbs nearby!
Looks like a great trip up. Reminds me a little bit of the stairs at Split Rock Lighthouse in northern Minnesota…I’m thinking it was nearly 200 steps down to the Lake Superior shore…then you had to climb back up! I took plenty of “photo breaks”!
shoot amazing stuff dude.
Asheville is our hometown! So glad you enjoyed it:)