Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park, Chimney Rock

This park has a wonderful history of how it came to be. There is an option to purchase tickets upon arrival, but I recommend purchasing online because it makes entering the park much faster. There is a line when waiting to get into the park, but it moves fairly swiftly. The rangers were available once reaching the attraction parking area to keep things orderly which is much appreciated. Trails were clearly marked and maps were provided along with maps/signs available throughout the park trails. Option to take the elevator or walk to the summit, but we walked. It was simply too pretty out to miss out on a walk. I appreciated the cool air because it kept sweating to a minimum 😂. Although it is winter the vistas we're still breathe taking. I would visit again. The only recommendation I would make is that the guard rails on the drive to/from the Chimney Rock really needs updating. Although few were in disrepair it's rather unnerving that the only thing that kept you from falling off the side of the mountain were these wooden guard rails. What about metal? Aren't those better?

This is a beautiful place to visit. I will start by saying be prepared for the cost. Adults were $17/piece and youth $8. Adults are over 12 years old. I would recommend planning a whole day to make it worth the cost. It was $150 for our families of 10 people. Most of us climbed all the way up, a few in the group used the elevator which was nice. We were all able to converge at the top and enjoy the view. Wish we had planned more time to spend in the park and fully explore more of the features they had to offer and maybe packed a lunch to enjoy in the park. We went later than originally planned waiting for a storm to pass and had planned lunch in town so it seemed a bit steep (pun intended) for only about 2 hours. Part of that time was spent in the gift shop, spending more money. 😄 The views were breathtaking and the closest I will ever come to rock climbing as I am deathly afraid of heights. For the most part I felt completely secure, except the steps were not directly against the rock face. Never looked down though.