World’s Edge at Chimney Rock State Park – 10/29/23 – 4.5 miles
Did you know …
…that the World’s Edge is in North Carolina?
…that until about 2006 the World’s Edge was privately owned?
…that the efforts of Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy (now Conserving Carolina), other land conservancies, the state of North Carolina and private individuals preserved this gem of the Blue Ridge Escarpment from development?
Read here about the twists and turns and financial sacrifices to permanently protect World’s Edge and make it part of Chimney Rock State Park. Read more here about how to get to World’s Edge and what you'll see.
Wow!
So that’s how, on a fine morning in late October, I was able to walk on the edge of the world.
From Edneyville, NC, driving along many miles of country road, the leaves were showing their colors and I missed my turn at Ottanola Gap. Oops!
World’s Edge Road ends abruptly at a gated forest road and a private driveway on the right. Mine was the only vehicle this morning, starting my hike around 9:30 a.m.
The hike begins walking on a narrow forest road with various side paths to the cliff edges. If you want to see what’s at the end of the forest road, keep walking about 1.5 miles further to an intersection at Judes Gap. More on my misreading of that later.
The cliffs face east and the bright morning sun was not ideal for photos, but I tried. I advise hiking here past midday with the sun behind you. And remember, just enjoying the experience with no photos at all is pretty cool, too.
I turned on my GAIA app in case I needed help navigating back to the entrance, but the area is pretty straightforward. The side paths are obvious, leading to rock outcroppings that open up to the world at your feet. Slippery slopes, so don’t try to get close to the edge. The cliffs drop 2,000 feet down to the valley! Appreciate what you can view safely and live to hike another day.
I found that the side trails were linked via a narrow trail paralleling the forest road, so I didn’t need to retrace steps between viewpoints. Some outcroppings looked too precarious, but in total I found three places where I felt comfortable going out on the rocks for the broadest views.
The autumn hues were just past their peak, a lush carpet laid over the peaks and valleys. The real color show, though, was walking on the trail and looking up, down, and all around. There were intense reds and yellows and oranges and the path was strewn with glorious multi-colored leaves. Nothing man can do compares to what nature does every day.
Past the cliffs section, I continued on the forest road as it descended, using GAIA to track my progress. I got to Judes Gap and thought it was time to turn around…until I read the instructions more closely and saw that the end of the route was at Judes Gap Road. Well, how much farther is that?
I kept going as the descent became steeper and the path (no longer an old roadbed) became more rutted and overgrown. When I reached the point where weeds were as high as my shoulder and the path was narrower than my feet, I decided that was enough – turnaround time.
Back at my car, I was surprised to see two men who had ridden up on motorcycles for a quick walk out to the cliffs. One fellow started a conversation, asking how far I had walked. Turns out he lived for many years on Judes Gap Road and, as young boys, he and his friends used to ride bikes all over those old forest roads. What a treat to hear his story! And very touching that he returns from time to time for a walk on the World’s Edge.
~Chad Sugg
