Hanging Rock State Park: Three Sisters Off-Trail Hike

Hanging Rock State Park: Three Sisters Off-Trail Hike - 12/12/20 – 6.9 Miles

At the end of Sheep Rock Road on the outskirts of Danbury, NC (yes, outskirts) there’s a gate. This unassuming gate is a back door into Hanging Rock State Park – legal entry, rarely used, and a prime location for a solitary winter’s day hike – yes, yes, yes!

I didn’t find this gem on my own. I joined a hike led by Joe Miller on a cool COVID-19 morning in December 2020. I was thrilled at the opportunity to follow the footsteps of an experienced and trusted outdoor adventurer. [Check out GetGoingNC to be amazed at Joe’s passion and all he does to get people outside. The website includes a guide to this hike so my description here is only general, with photos that make you want to go!]

At the gate, I set my GAIA to make a track as we headed out on the gravel road past an old tobacco barn. Following Joe, trending uphill, we switched from one roadbed to another until we left gravel altogether and climbed up through the sparse undergrowth to the ridgeline (one of many reasons to hike off-trail in the wintertime).

At around two miles we summited the Second Sister, then half a mile later topped the Third Sister. We walked along a saddle up to a fourth peak (unnamed) and over to a rock outcrop with stunning views of Hanging Rock to the west.

From that turnaround point, we loosely retraced our steps, exploring more rock outcrops with views to the southwest. On the return we also made the short side trip to tag the First Sister (no view). Didn’t see any peeps the whole day.

Joe Miller

Joe shared tips on off-trail sight navigation, and comparing my GAIA track with the GPS of other hikers was a valuable learning exercise for me. I don’t profess to be prepared for solo tripping off-trail everywhere, but I think I could repeat this hike in similar (winter) conditions using the track I made.

New area, new skills, winter views and solitude – it doesn’t get any better than that. I drove home with a big ol’ smile on my face.

I repeat: Do yourself a favor and check out GetGoingNC, especially the blog posts and archives. Joe is based in the North Carolina Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) but he offers guided hikes in a broader area, and his guided backpacking trips (for beginners as well as experienced folks) are the best you can get for skill building and exposure to some great areas in the NC mountains and beyond. 

“I have discovered in life that there are ways
 of getting almost anywhere you want to go,
if you really want to go.”
~Langston Hughes