Rocky Face Mountain Recreational Area, Hiddenite

This was a really cool place. Very accessible outdoor climbing. Great for those just starting out for outdoors. Had picnic tables to set gear and eat at. Restrooms were clean and very close. My son not only enjoyed the climbing, but also the play area they had. Definitely will be making many visits back.

My first visit to Rocky Face Mountain was extremely pleasant! I hiked the VMT and was excited by the challenge of this uphill hike. The views were pretty and there were ample places to sit and enjoy the quiet peace of the mountain. The trails were well marked and trail intersections always had signage marked with “you are here.” I definitely recommend shoes with good friction and although not necessary (I didn’t have any), hiking poles/a walking stick would have come in handy. Go check it out, it’s a beautiful park!

Great county park for hiking and rock climbing. Hat tip to Alexander County this park rivals many State Parks in quality. The place is impeccably maintained with well marked trails. We did the prison camp trail which claims to be a hike passing the former site of inmate housing. We did not see any relics foundadions or locations along the hike that looked like they were former inmate housing. Nevertheless it is a really nice moderate 1 mile out 1 mile back hike - just don't expect to see any remains of a prison camp. We also did the Buzzard Loop trail which they say is an easy to moderate trail. While it is short in distance you do have a good vertical assent along the bald face of the granite dome. I would say it is a moderate hike not necessarily easy for the young, elderly or those not comfortable navigating that type of terrain.

This park is incredible. It has incredible opportunities for hiking and climbing. It is much of a "choose your own adventure" type atmosphere with many levels of difficulty. I love it and I'm so grateful to be able to enjoy it.

This is a nice county park in Hiddenite. There are several hiking trails. Please note the buzzard overlook loop isn't necessarily easy. The prison camp trail is about 1 mile each way. There are a lot of nice markers to identify trees along the way. The trail is cleared nicely and very well marked. We did not see the old prison camp anywhere along the way. You can rock climb here. You must have a permit. Restrooms are clean.