Mountains Away From The Mountains

Hanging Rock State Park lies in the Sauratown Mountains, which were named for the Saura, a Native American tribe. Although the Blue Ridge Mountains are visible from the Sauratown Mountains, the two are distinct and separate ranges, giving the Sauratowns the name “Mountains Away from the Mountains.” Once part of a mighty range of peaks, the Sauratowns were shaped by millions of years of erosion as softer materials were gradually washed away and quartzite ridges and knobs were revealed. Prominent peaks including Hanging Rock, Cook’s Wall, and Moore’s Wall rise from 1,700 feet to more than 2,500 feet above the surrounding Piedmont, and numerous creeks flow over the outcrops to create waterfalls such as Hidden Falls, Window Falls, and Upper and Lower Cascade Falls.

North Carolina · United States