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A favorite DRBA outing is a hike
on three of Fairy Stone State Park’s trails. Following is a description from the
announcement:
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Fairy Stone Lake, viewed from Iron Mine
Trail at Fairy Stone State Park. The Dan River Basin Association will
hike portions of the park’s trail system on March 5. |
The Iron Mine Trail hike is a
moderate 2.6 miles across high and steep ridges through stands of beech, pine,
hickory, poplar, maple, and sycamore trees. Also prevalent on the trail are
areas of rhododendron. After a few climbs and declines, the trip leader will
guide the group on a side trip along the Lake Shore Trail to the spillway, where
the waters of the Smith River slip from the Fairy Stone to the Philpott
Reservoir.
After a picnic lunch at the
Spillway, hikers will complete the circuit of the Turkey Ridge Trail, travel to
the base of Stuart’s Knob and strike out on the Iron Mine Trail, all the while
being regaled with the trip leader’s knowledge of the area’s history.
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Iron mine entrance along trail at Fairy
Stone State Park. |
Hikers will get a chance to look
through the bars into the mouth of an old iron mine. Afterwards they begin their
ascent through a hardwood forest. Switchbacks here make it easier to the climb
up the rather steep slopes. They will see remnants of the iron as they stride
along the mountain. After a fine vista of a portion of Fairy Stone reservoir,
hikers will make a quick descent to the parking area.
Time permitting, the group will
then travel to the place where the fairy stones for which the park is named have
been found in abundance. Legend says this area was once home to fairies and
other woodland creatures. Word of Jesus’ crucifixion so saddened these fairies
that they wept tears which crystallized staurolite (silica, iron and aluminum)
in the form of Maltese, Roman and St. Andrews crosses.
At the end of the day, hikers
will have sampled portions of three of the park’s several hiking trails, which
total 18.5 miles, and will have traveled a good sampling of the park’s 4,868
acres, crowned by the 168-acre reservoir. |
