Looking Glass Rock reflects a dazzle of sunlight when water collects on its granite face, creating an especially spectacular display in winter when the water turns to ice. It is a pluton formed by underground volcanic activity, one of the great masses of molten rock that hardened beneath the earth's surface. Centuries of erosion eventually exposed the rock and shaped it into the familiar dome seen today. For generations, it has been a landmark in the southern Appalachian Mountains, and its massive size is easily appreciated close-up.