The
two RV Gypsies hiked to Tory's Den
in Hanging Rock State Park
1287 - 1299 Charlie Young Road, Walnut Cove,
(Stokes County) North Carolina
May 10, 2023
  
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When most people (tourists
and residents alike) visit North Carolina’s famous Hanging Rock State
Park, caves are not at the forefront of their mind. The park is widely
known for the cliff locations which are part of the easternmost mountains
in the state, the Sauratown Mountains, as opposed to the Blue Ridge
Mountains found farther west. |
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There are 18 miles of hiking
trails in this state park, including one that leads to a cave, which
is the only trail the two RV Gypsies took on this date, because they
were only here for one day, and they just finished a Segway tour and
it was getting later in the day.
The cave and the rock outcroppings at Tory's Den are said to have
been the hiding spot of British Loyalists during the Revolutionary War.
But their campfires were spotted at night and they quickly rerouted.
There are two ways to get here, one is about a 3 mile drive from
the main entrance at Hanging Rock State Park, to Moores's Spring Road,
to Mickey Road and then to Charlie Young Road, which is where the Two
RV Gypsies were on this date. This hike is listed as a 0.2 mile hike,
but with the curvy trail and all the stairs, the two RV Gypsies question
the length of the hike.
A second option from within Hanging Rock State Park is the Tory's
Den trail, a 2.7 mile moderate spur off the Moores' Wall Loop Trail
at Huckleberry Ridge, which is a hike of almost 5 miles one way. The
two RV Gypsies did not come here from the main section of Hanging Rock
State Park; they just managed to find the trail shown below, off of
a very small parking lot, known as the Tory's Den Parking Lot.
A set of rock stairs led down the side of the mountain to the entrance
of the cave. Altogether, there were 170 steps - ONE WAY, then of course,
170 steps back up. (Note: The two RV Gypsies have done 832 stairs one
way in New York, quite a few years earlier - It get harder every year
for the two RV Gypsies.) It also did NOT feel like only a 0.2 mile trail
to the two RV Gypsies (as shown in the sign below) mostly because of
the winding trail and all the steps and stairs. |
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Tory's Den and
Falls is a moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Westfield,
North Carolina that features a waterfall. They did not meet up with
any other people during this hike. |
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Below: Tory's Den Waterfall,
the tallest of five waterfalls in this park. The others are not reachable
from this particular trail, but are listed at the bottom of this page,
with a link to the two that Karen and Lee Duquette have hiked to.
Here at Tory's Den Waterfall, water drops 240 feet over a series
of gentle rock terraces. This one, Tory's Den Waterfall is pretty, but
it is difficult (and maybe not possible) to get close to it. It is difficult
to get great photographs from here. A list of the other four waterfalls
can be found at the bottom of this page, plus a link to ones that the
two RV Gypsies have previously visited. |
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Below:
The natural surroundings almost completely camouflage the entrance to
the cave. |
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Below: Lee
Duquette in Tory's Den Cave |
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Below: The end of the cave |
Below: Looking out from
the cave |
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Below: Close-up
photos of the outside of the cave's rocks |
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Below: Looking
up towards the top of Tory's Cave |
Below: End of Trail sign |
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Below: Some
of the 170 steps back up to the road. |
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