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MST16-Stone Mountain State Park

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Mountains-to-Sea

Starting with 460.2 miles, 75,850 ft. ascent

Devils Garden Overlook MP 235.7 to Stone Mountain State Park

9.9 miles, 1,500 ft. ascent (3,000 ft. descent)

The Blue Ridge Parkway is windy at 7:15 A.M. as Sharon and I get on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail for our last day on this stretch.

We're all bundled up though we know we'll take off almost everything soon. This is where the MST leaves the Parkway. We have been following the Parkway since we left the Smokies over 300 MST miles ago, so this spot is a landmark for us. For this occasion, I saved my GPS trace for the day. Usually I only carry a GPS for mileage during the day and altitude gain.

The trail starts up, over a hill and we soon enter Stone Mountain State Park at its northwest corner. A sign warns us that the MST has been rerouted for "your safety" but it doesn't say when.

MST16-Entering Stone Mountain SP Was it this year? A decade ago? We have no idea if Scot's instructions are for the old trail or the current one. We turn left as the sign indicates and follow an old road.

We pass two blazes close together but then nothing. The road goes down, curving around Scott Ridge. I feel uneasy at the lack of blazes but we haven't passed any other trails so we have no other choice. We pass an old cabin in ruins and now we know that we're following current directions. MST16-Stone Mountain Old Cabin

After five miles of down, down, down, down, we reach the backcountry parking and registration area. Two guys are organizing their gear around their truck getting ready to leave. They've been coming here for years and tell us that the reroute was done at least six years ago. Why is the park still talking about a reroute? That's just confusing.

"So what was unsafe about the old route?" I ask the guys.
One man had an old topo map which showed an old aerial tramway

"It was extremely steep," one says, "because the trail was underneath the tramway. A local man came back from World War II, saw aerial tramways in Europe, and thought he could replicate it here."

According to a website on Trailjournals.com, it was supposed to be “the world’s longest and highest gondola span.” The tram crossed 2,800 feet over the Bullhead Creek chasm- 1,052 feet in the air. People could ride from Mahogany Rock Mountain to Scott ridge for 50 cents. There was a visitor’s center, restrooms, and gift shop on Scott ridge. But that's all gone now except for a confusing sign.

MST16-Staircase to Stone Mountain Falls We walk on the road to the Hiker Parking area, passing Widow Creek Trail and start on the Stone Mountain Loop Trail, taking it counterclockwise. The MST takes us to the elaborate staircase which leads to Stone Mountain Falls.

Warning signs are everywhere, trashing the beautiful surroundings. MST16-Stone Mountain Waterfall warning Passing a chimney, the trail goes down to a picnic area and back to the visitor center where I had left my car.

Cumulative after Day 40, 469.1 miles, 77,350 ft. ascent

Stone Mountain "reroute"

Posted by Chris at 2010-10-26 14:23

Danny, having hiked that section, I don't know that the old trail could be much steeper than the plunge from the ridge down to Widow's Creek and not require ropes! What I have heard is that eventually a new trail is planned that will have more amenities such as steps and switchbacks, but apparently, this keeps receding into the future. In the interim, I am guessing that using the old road makes for easier maintenance than keeping up a steep (and therefore subject to erosion) and somewhat remote trail.

old mst trail in stone mountain

Posted by susan m at 2012-12-29 10:58

The old trail skirts the top of a massively tall waterfall that can be seen from the blue ridge parkway. It is a sheer drop.

Reroute

Posted by Arthur at 2010-10-27 15:12

When I went through there a couple of years ago, I walked both the current official trail and the "old" trail from before the reroute. It's steep but it's not THAT steep. It's just an old forest road that runs straight up the ridge and it is eroded some but not any worse than many others.

I think I remember hearing that part of the reason for the reroute is that it runs along the top of a high bluff and people were climbing out on the bluff.

If you do ignore the signs and take the old route from the overlook, you can quickly stumble upon a blue blaze to the remains of one end of the old tramway. It's pretty cool and has a great view.

By all rights, the MST should go over top of Stone Mountain or by the Falls but Farr insists that it exit along the hard surface park road. Not sure of the reason.

Think before you write

Posted by a at 2010-12-29 11:36

Use your brain before you write. My father died here. Could you really be so obtuse to not think that the signs are there because people died unnecessarily? My life would have been completely different if these trashy signs had been there 20 years ago. I'm sorry, but I have no sympathy for your damaged and wounded eyes. You have your life, my father doesn't. Enjoy it and please try to think about what it means when a sign says "fatalities have occurred." That's the end of someone's life. Someone's family lost a person and little boy's life was never the same because of it. That's what that sign means. Deal.

Thank you!

Posted by Beth at 2012-05-21 00:16

I came upon this post/entry and thought the same thing. People have died there. Some people become oblivious to danger, even obvious danger, and need some prompting.

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