Awe Inspiring Views at The Blowing Rock

I don’t know what I was more inspired by, the views at The Blowing Rock or The Legend of Blowing Rock. The Blowing Rock is North Carolina’s  oldest travel attraction since 1933!

The Blowing Rock is an immense cliff 4,000 feet above sea level overhanging Johns River Gorge 3,000 feet below. It is open all year (weather permitting) in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The origin of The Blowing Rock is quite fascinating really. It talks about how “During the formation of the Blue Ridge Mountains, strong pressure in the rocks of the earth’s crust produced many features which we now see at The Blowing Rock.” Reece actually said the rocks would make a good science project. SWEET! We know what his science project will be about thanks to The Blowing Rock!

The Legend of Blowing Rock

“It is said that a Chickasaw chieftan, fearful of a white man’s admiration for his lovely daughter, journeyed far from the plains to bring her to The Blowing Rock and the care of a squaw mother. One day the maiden, daydreaming on the craggy cliff, spied a Cherokee brave wandering in the wilderness far below and playfully shot an arrow in his direction. The flirtation worked because soon he appeared before her wigwam, courted her with songs of his land and they became lovers, wandering the pathless woodlands and along the crystal streams.

One day a strange reddening of the sky brought the brave and the maiden to The Blowing Rock. To him it was a sign of trouble commanding his return to his tribe in the plains. With the maiden’s entreaties not to leave her, the brave, torn by conflict of duty and heart, leaped from The Rock into the wilderness far below. The grief-stricken maiden prayed daily to the Great Spirit until one evening with a reddening sky, a gust of wind blew her lover back onto The Rock and into her arms. From that day a perpetual wind has blown up onto The Rock from the valley below. For people of other days, at least, this was explanation enough for The Blowing Rock’s mysterious winds causing even the snow to fall upside down.”

When you enter The Blowing Rock, there is a trail you can follow.  The first stop we made was to the Overlook. Even if it was a little overcast that morning, we were greeted with absolutely stunning views. Another visitor kindly offered to take a family picture for us. You could see for miles and miles.

From there we went straight to The Blowing Rock Formation. What makes this rock so interesting is that the “… rocky walls of the gorge form a flume through which the northwest wind sweeps with such force that it returns light objects cast over the void. The current air flowing upward from The Rock prompted Ripley’s “Believe-It-Or Not” cartoon about “the only place that snow falls upside down.”

And of course with Mel, Betsy, and Reece along, a few “fun” Rock pictures had to be taken!

Off to the Observation Tower we went. This structure is high above everything else and gives expansive views southwest of Hawksbill Mountain and Table Rock. To the west are Grandfather Mountain (the highest peak in the Blue Ridge Chain) and Mount Mitchell (the highest peak east of the Rockies).

I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to visit The Blowing Rock. It was peaceful, beautiful, a learning experience, and definitely fun for my whole family. This is a must stop on your visit to Blowing Rock, NC.

For more information, please visit The Blowing Rock. Or, visit The Blowing Rock Visitors Center.

Thanks Blowing Rock and The Blowing Rock Visitors Center for making our trip to The Blowing Rock so much fun! We will be back!