Rocky Ridge, Standing Stone Trail
Jun 21, 2015 21:23:59 GMT -5
Post by AegisIII on Jun 21, 2015 21:23:59 GMT -5
Photos
One place I'd been wanting to go for a while has been the Rocky Ridge section of the Standing Stone Trail. I almost went in October of last year, but decided on Blue Knob instead. So in April I decided to finally head up to Rothrock and get this part of the SST finished.
I started at the parking pull-off atop Stone Mountain on Allensville Rd, taking the very short access trail to the billboard at the Standing Stone Trail. From the access route, the southbound SST is kind of hidden; it's clear from the SST if you turn around. I started heading downhill, crossed Allensville Rd, and continued on the Martin Trail section, adding some clothing layers. The trail is a basically straight woods road, cut sloping in the rocky mountainside. Heading down, the main thing I was thinking was "boy it's really gonna be fun climbing up this at the end of the hike." There are a couple of small views to the west on the way down, plus many views of the giant rock fields on the mountain above. As the slope lightens, the trail heads more cross-country, following woods roads, logging skids and roads down to Frew Road. A few small seasonal streams cross the trail.
Crossing Frew Rd, the trail becomes narrow, soon crossing the Martin Gap creek. It then begins a steep slightly switchbacked climb up Rocky Ridge. At the top the ridge's name becomes clear. Large towering outcrops are all along this part of the ridge. Interesting erosion patters give them interesting shapes, often mushroom like or as swiss cheese. There's also a manatee shaped rock. The SST is blazed clearly through, though with numerous old routings also present. I take my share of both to explore the area. This first area of outcrops ends at a powerline crossing.
South of the powerline, the outcrops continue at first, with one or two views, but then become less frequent as the trail hugs the west side of the ridge. Those that are there are towering, imposing, and weird; some seem like they should fall down at any time.
After a bit, I reached the turnoff for Hunter's Rocks. Saw my first snake, a long black rat snake, of the year. The trail first seems to end at a small outcrop, used for bouldering. But it continues, reaching a huge outcrop garden. This is a most impressive area, and I am already thinking how to hike the area again when I go back. The rocks here really are towering. There's a large shelter cave, plus some smaller fissure caves. Long sloping crevices, mostly narrow; also wide level passageways. And it just seems to keep going! A most recommended area.
Back on the SST, I continued southbound, passing the old route, crossing a small stream, and reached the end of Frew Rd. I started the climb of the SST/Carbon Trail. I continued on the unblazed Carbon Trail after the SST left. Very surprisingly, I met a hiker coming down the trail, who had made it to the top of Stone Mountain. Word is there is a vista up there. I made it to an area which looks like an old homestead (probably not), and, the trail not having been very distinct for a while, and not seeing an obvious continuation, decided to turn around, having lunch on a sturdy rock.
I then started my way back, down Caron, then northbound on the SST to the Dogwood/Old Link Trail, meeting the trail running VP of the SSTC. I headed up the old trail, passing numerous sinkholes, though frankly I'm not 100% convinced they are natural. (OTOH, Rocky Ridge isn't that tall and may have some limestone layers.) I made it back to the SST and to the powerline. Here, I followed the powerline downhill to the west, heading steeply down the outcrop filled slope. Actually not too bad going. I reached a stripped, bulldozed logging road, taking it north. Near its end, it turns into a better roadbed, grassy with gravel showing through, before merging with a gravel cabin driveway. I head into Martin Gap, past some outcrops of the northern end of Rocky Ridge. When I reached Martin Gap Rd, I took a break by the stream as it cascaded through the gap beneath swiss cheese rocks.
I then headed along Frew Rd, looking for the (old) Martin Trail. My map suggested it should be at the first cabin driveway I reached. So I took it. It soon split in two, the driveway turning and an old woods road heading straight. My map did not have this split; and looking could not immediately tell me which way to go. With a 50/50 chance, I take the woods road, figuring the driveway ended at the occupied cabin with no continuation as a trail. After a quarter mile the trail is following a stream and I know I took the wrong branch. Most fortunately, at about that time I reached another woods road climbing the mountain back to the south. I took that and eventually I reached the Martin Trail. I continued uphill on that, eventually reaching the SST right where I expected to. Finally, my hike ended with the long climb back up Stone Mountain, as tough as I thought it'd be at the beginning of the hike.
One place I'd been wanting to go for a while has been the Rocky Ridge section of the Standing Stone Trail. I almost went in October of last year, but decided on Blue Knob instead. So in April I decided to finally head up to Rothrock and get this part of the SST finished.
I started at the parking pull-off atop Stone Mountain on Allensville Rd, taking the very short access trail to the billboard at the Standing Stone Trail. From the access route, the southbound SST is kind of hidden; it's clear from the SST if you turn around. I started heading downhill, crossed Allensville Rd, and continued on the Martin Trail section, adding some clothing layers. The trail is a basically straight woods road, cut sloping in the rocky mountainside. Heading down, the main thing I was thinking was "boy it's really gonna be fun climbing up this at the end of the hike." There are a couple of small views to the west on the way down, plus many views of the giant rock fields on the mountain above. As the slope lightens, the trail heads more cross-country, following woods roads, logging skids and roads down to Frew Road. A few small seasonal streams cross the trail.
Crossing Frew Rd, the trail becomes narrow, soon crossing the Martin Gap creek. It then begins a steep slightly switchbacked climb up Rocky Ridge. At the top the ridge's name becomes clear. Large towering outcrops are all along this part of the ridge. Interesting erosion patters give them interesting shapes, often mushroom like or as swiss cheese. There's also a manatee shaped rock. The SST is blazed clearly through, though with numerous old routings also present. I take my share of both to explore the area. This first area of outcrops ends at a powerline crossing.
South of the powerline, the outcrops continue at first, with one or two views, but then become less frequent as the trail hugs the west side of the ridge. Those that are there are towering, imposing, and weird; some seem like they should fall down at any time.
After a bit, I reached the turnoff for Hunter's Rocks. Saw my first snake, a long black rat snake, of the year. The trail first seems to end at a small outcrop, used for bouldering. But it continues, reaching a huge outcrop garden. This is a most impressive area, and I am already thinking how to hike the area again when I go back. The rocks here really are towering. There's a large shelter cave, plus some smaller fissure caves. Long sloping crevices, mostly narrow; also wide level passageways. And it just seems to keep going! A most recommended area.
Back on the SST, I continued southbound, passing the old route, crossing a small stream, and reached the end of Frew Rd. I started the climb of the SST/Carbon Trail. I continued on the unblazed Carbon Trail after the SST left. Very surprisingly, I met a hiker coming down the trail, who had made it to the top of Stone Mountain. Word is there is a vista up there. I made it to an area which looks like an old homestead (probably not), and, the trail not having been very distinct for a while, and not seeing an obvious continuation, decided to turn around, having lunch on a sturdy rock.
I then started my way back, down Caron, then northbound on the SST to the Dogwood/Old Link Trail, meeting the trail running VP of the SSTC. I headed up the old trail, passing numerous sinkholes, though frankly I'm not 100% convinced they are natural. (OTOH, Rocky Ridge isn't that tall and may have some limestone layers.) I made it back to the SST and to the powerline. Here, I followed the powerline downhill to the west, heading steeply down the outcrop filled slope. Actually not too bad going. I reached a stripped, bulldozed logging road, taking it north. Near its end, it turns into a better roadbed, grassy with gravel showing through, before merging with a gravel cabin driveway. I head into Martin Gap, past some outcrops of the northern end of Rocky Ridge. When I reached Martin Gap Rd, I took a break by the stream as it cascaded through the gap beneath swiss cheese rocks.
I then headed along Frew Rd, looking for the (old) Martin Trail. My map suggested it should be at the first cabin driveway I reached. So I took it. It soon split in two, the driveway turning and an old woods road heading straight. My map did not have this split; and looking could not immediately tell me which way to go. With a 50/50 chance, I take the woods road, figuring the driveway ended at the occupied cabin with no continuation as a trail. After a quarter mile the trail is following a stream and I know I took the wrong branch. Most fortunately, at about that time I reached another woods road climbing the mountain back to the south. I took that and eventually I reached the Martin Trail. I continued uphill on that, eventually reaching the SST right where I expected to. Finally, my hike ended with the long climb back up Stone Mountain, as tough as I thought it'd be at the beginning of the hike.
