Beyond Table Rock and Hawksbill Mountains lies Linville Gorge, a deep, rugged canyon carved over the ages by the Linville River and known as the Grand Canyon of the East. One of the wildest and most rugged places in the eastern United States, it is ringed by tall peaks including Gingercake, Hawksbill, Table Rock, The Chimneys, and Shortoff mountains. Elevations range from about 1,300 feet above sea level near the Linville River to 4,120 feet at Gingercake Mountain. Linville Gorge became a Wilderness Area in 1964, one of the first in the United States, and today its 11,786 acres are managed to preserve its unique natural conditions and wilderness character. Recreation there is primitive and requires visitors to be entirely self-sufficient, with minimal signage and trail blazes, no shelters, campgrounds, water spigots, or restrooms, and travel by foot only because motorized vehicles are not allowed. Camping permits are required on weekends and holidays from May 1 through October 31, hunting and fishing are allowed with state licenses, and groups are limited to 10 people.