Travel NC With Kids: June 2020

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Tory's Den Cave and Waterfall Trail - Tallest Waterfall at Hanging Rock State Park

Tory's Dan Cave and Waterfall Trail at Hanging Rock State Park © Katrena

Tory's Den Cave and Waterfall Trailhead © Katrena

Tory's Den Cave and Waterfall Trail is located at Hanging Rock State Park but not via the main entrance. The address is 1185 Charlie Young Road, which is less than five miles from the main entrance. If you prefer to hike, I believe there is a 4-mile trail from the lake at Hanging Rock.

Tallest Waterfall at Hanging Rock State Park © Katrena

I've been hiking at Hanging Rock occasionally for about 35 years and had not ever been on this trail. I usually hike to Hidden Falls, Window Falls, Hanging Rock, and trails with trailheads beyond the main entrance.

Small Bridge on Tory's Den Cave & Waterfall Trail © Katrena

Before this trip, I was flipping through the various trails on the Hanging Rock page on the North Carolina State Parks web site. Tory's Den Cave and Waterfall Trail is a fairly easy 0.2 mile one-way hike.

View from Bridge on Tory's Den Cave and Waterfall Trail © Katrena

Short Hiking Trail at Hanging Rock © Katrena

Pretty Hiking Trail at Hanging Rock State Park © Katrena

The trail features natural terrain with a dirt path with some steps and a small wooden bridge. Several people were hiking this trail with young children and with dogs. If you are traveling with children or furry friends, be careful near the waterfall as there is a drop-off over there, which is similar to the Hanging Rock Trail. I would not recommend trying to take a stroller, wheelchair, or scooter on this trail.

Tory's Waterfall at Hanging Rock State Park © Katrena

Tory's Falls is to the left where the trail splits. You can hear the waterfall from the parking lot. It has quite a bit of height to it with lots of vegetation beyond the rocks where the trail ends. We visited on June 30 when a lot of plants were full of blooms and leaves. I would imagine more of the waterfall would be visible in winter months.

Steps Along Tory's Den Cave Trail © Katrena

Tory's Den Cave Entrance © Katrena

Tory's Den Cave is to the right where the trail splits. That part of the trail is a little longer than the one to get to the waterfall. You can find information about this cave at the trailhead at the parking lot. According to information posted, about 100 Tories lived in the cave.

View from Inside Tory's Den Cave © Katrena

The cave entrance is quite impressive. We were expecting a rather large room beyond the entrance, but the top of the cave dips down pretty low. My crew didn't try crawling through there to see the larger areas of the cave that we imagined. We could feel a significantly cooler temperature just walking into the mouth of the cave, which was a nice treat on a summer hike!

Wildlife Along Trail at Hanging Rock State Park © Katrena

Rhododendron at Hanging Rock © Katrena

As with all hiking trails, it is a good idea to slow down and enjoy the journey. The path is a lot of the fun! We saw huckleberries, mushrooms, a variety of mosses and trees, and were serenaded by quite a few cicadas.

View Beside Tory's Den Cave and Waterfall Trail © Katrena

Trail with Steps at Hanging Rock State Park © Katrena

Yes, we were out hiking in the midst of a pandemic. No, we didn't wear masks because very few people were on the trail and we all distanced ourselves whenever we met others along the way. It was a nice hike and a great way to safely connect with my family while enjoying the outdoors. My family does wear masks if we need to go inside an enclosed space or if we are outside and cannot distance ourselves from others.

Fun Family Activities While Social Distancing © Katrena

I did not see any bathrooms at the parking lot where this trailhead is located, so take that into consideration and communicate that with folks in your group ahead of time. Several bathrooms were open on up at Hanging Rock beyond the main entrance on the day we visited.

View at Tory's Waterfall at Hanging Rock © Katrena

If you are interested in learning more about Hanging Rock's trails, maps, directions, history, ecology, or even seeing a video, go to the Hanging Rock official page of the North Carolina State Parks web site.

Rock Formations Near Tory's Den Cave © Katrena

You might also like to read more of my articles by visiting my site map or clicking the links below that highlight Hanging Rock State Park:

Mushrooms Along Hiking Trail at Hanging Rock © Katrena

Hanging Rock Hiking Trail & Social Distancing in Midst of COVID-19 Pandemic © Katrena

Thanks for visiting Travel NC With Kids!

Monday, June 29, 2020

DCH Walking Trail Near Davis Medical Center in Statesville - Paved & Shaded Short Walk

DCH Walking Trail in Statesville, NC © Katrena

DCH Walking Trail is located just to the left of Davis Medical Center in Statesville.

DCH Walking Trail in Memory of Lillie Norket's 60 Years of Service
Dedicated by Sunshine Volunteers © Katrena

Walking Trail with Stones Honoring Service at Davis Medical Center © Katrena

Stone in Honor of Marie Vaughn, RN with 40 Years of Service at
David Medical Center © Katrena

Bench in Honor of DCH Nurses, 1995 © Katrena

Bench at DCH Walking Trail © Katrena

The trail was given by the Sunshine Volunteers in 1995 in memory of Lillie Norket's 60 years of service. Several other memorial plaques and stones are also on the walking trail.

Short Walking Trail in Iredell County Lined by Crepe Myrtles © Katrena

Free Walking Trail in Statesville © Katrena

Shaded Walking Trail Near Davis Medical Center © Katrena

Pretty Walking Trail Near Davis Medical Center in Statesville © Katrena

The walking trail includes a small pond with a paved walkway leading from the road beside David Medical Center.

Trees Along Walking Trail in Statesville © Katrena

Woodpecker Holes in Tree at Walking Trail in Statesville © Katrena

Trail for De-stressing in Iredell County © Katrena

Magnolia Tree Along Walking Trail in Iredell County © Katrena

A variety of trees line the trail and provide shade while walking. Quite a few birds, particularly robins, gravitate to the area.

Paved Walking Trail with Grape Arbor © Katrena

Several benches and a picnic table are beside the trail for those who want to have a picnic lunch or just rest a while.

Pretty Wildlife at DCS Walking Trail © Katrena

Blue Dasher at Statesville Walking Trail © Katrena

The plants growing at the water's edge attract dragonflies, damselflies, butterflies, frogs, and fish.

Walking Trail Around a Pond © Katrena

Although this trail is in sight of a road and is directly beside the medical center, peace surrounds the area and provides a nice respite from the hustle and bustle occurring nearby.

Walking Trail Near Water © Katrena

If you like to take nature pictures, you might be surprised at all the opportunities on this short trail.

Outdoor Activities in Statesville © Katrena

Social Distancing on Walking Trail in Iredell County © Katrena

My family is always looking for trails where we can get out and exercise and enjoy nature. This was one we found without even searching for trails - what a nice surprise!

Turtle at Pond © Katrena

Honeysuckle Vine © Katrena

Many thanks to the Sunshine Volunteers for their thoughtful gift. Lillie Norket must have been a special person, and I know she'd be proud of how the group honored her memory.

Damselfly at Walking Trail © Katrena

Here are more of my articles with walking trails in the area that you might wish to read:

Shaded Walking Trail with Picnic Table © Katrena

Sky Reflection in the Pond © Katrena

Damselflies © Katrena

Thanks so much for visiting Travel NC With Kids!

Sunday, June 28, 2020

Lake Norman State Park - Extensive Trails and a Ton of Ways to Ride the Waves

Lake Norman State Park © Katrena

Lake Norman State Park, located in Iredell County about 40 miles north of Charlotte, lies on part of North Carolina's largest man-made lake. The park includes about 17 miles along the northern shore of Lake Norman. There is no fee to enter the park, but some activities like camping, boat rentals, and swimming do have fees.

Lake Norman State Park Visitor Center © Katrena

When some people think of Lake Norman, they might automatically think of all the houses along the shore and multiple piers and docks as seen from the interstate. The state park celebrates the natural beauty of the lake and wooded areas with hiking trails, biking trails, camping, boating, swimming, and other activities.

State Park Near Troutman NC © Katrena

We visited Lake Norman State Park in June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The welcome center, swimming, and boat rentals were closed, but the trails were open and well-maintained. The larger bathrooms were closed, but two single-stall bathrooms on the side were open and clean. Visitors were free to walk onto the back deck of the welcome center and enjoy the view and rocking chairs as well.

Beautiful Hiking Trails in NC © Katrena

North Carolina State Park - Lake Norman © Katrena

Enjoy Nature with the Family © Katrena

The park has a lot of picnic areas. Many are right by the lake and have pretty views. Most picnic tables are shaded while a few eating and sitting areas are sunnier.

Hiking Trails Near Water in NC © Katrena

Hiking Trail at Lake Norman © Katrena

A park ranger happened to be walking by and stopped to talk from a distance. Many of the rangers provide regular programs at the state parks and share their knowledge of the park, animals, and plants in the area. I always enjoy having a chance to ask a ranger about the park and get tips for things to do and see!

Dragonfly Trail at Lake Norman State Park © Katrena

Paved TRACK Trail that is Handicap Accessible © Katrena

We hiked the Dragonfly Trail first. It is a paved 0.15 loop with informational signs. Many of the signs are interactive with questions. Visitors can find the answers by opening doors or turning segments of the display. The Dragonfly Trail is wheelchair accessible. The informational signs include a nice variety of information.

Learn About Nature While Hiking © Katrena

We heard quite a few birds in the wooded area near the parking lot and along the Dragonfly Trail. The park is home to a large number of birds, such as bald eagles, scarlet tanagers, and yellow-billed cuckoos, just to name a few. We also saw squirrels and other small animals as we hiked.

We found a nicely maintained deck with stairs to a lower deck overlooking the water on the left side. Our family saw turtles, fish, and dragonflies while listening to beautiful bird calls at the deck. Water seems to always attract mosquitoes, so if your crew has mosquito magnets in the bunch, I would suggest bug spray in warmer weather.

The Alder Trail is not paved but is nicely maintained. It hugs the edge of the water. One side trail takes hikers a short way out to a small dammed area with steps to the water's edge. This spot provides a nice view of the visitor center.

We continued down the Alder Trail and found a nice variety of trees, shrubs, mosses, mushrooms, and a few wildflowers.

At the far end of the trail we found a picnic table and small bench. We stayed in that spot and enjoyed watching the dragonflies, damselflies, minnows, a lizard, and fish. It was quite enjoyable and relaxing!

Quite a few people were out on the water the day we visited. We saw fishing boats, kayaks, paddleboards, jet skis, and more. It was a lot of fun to see how others were enjoying the beautiful June morning on the water. The park normally offers a variety of boats for rent, including pedal boats, canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards, but these are all on hold due to pandemic regulations.

Faith, the person on the paddleboard in the photos, talked with us as she floated on the water. She mentioned seeing a lot of turtles and herons on the lake that day and also paddling to Hammocks Beach, one of the state parks we have not yet visited.

We walked back on the other side of the Alder Trail loop. It took us to the lower deck that we had seen earlier. Is there a monster-like creature that lives in the depths of the lake? We didn't see Normie, if he exists, but perhaps Normie saw us!

As we hiked, we saw several people taking advantage of the bike trails at Lake Norman State Park. The Itusi Trail includes 8 loops with 30.5 miles of biking trails. The bike trails are more narrow than the hiking trails and also looked well-maintained.

Several vehicles were in the parking lot. I think many were biking and boating that day, which made social distancing quite simple and easy for our group as we find hiking to be a fun, safe activity in the midst of a pandemic. The few people and pets we did see on the trails were friendly and respectful to others on the trail.

If you are interested in learning more about Lake Norman State Park's location, hours, history, ecology, camping, trails, videos, and more, check out the Lake Norman State Park official page on the North Carolina State Parks web site.

If you have favorite spots in North Carolina where you like to travel, feel free to send me an email with suggestions for other places to go in the state. You might also like to check out more of my articles by looking at my site map, reading my other article about Lake Norman, or looking at some of these articles of state parks that are near Lake Norman, including: