Looking Glass Rock
Stare into the Looking Glass. Be mesmerized by one of the most beautiful granite domes in the South. This massive formation can be seen from points all over the Pisgah National Forest south of Asheville, especially along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
But you don’t have to be a rock climber to conquer this icon, thanks to a hiking trail that leads to the top.
The name comes from the effect created when sheets of rainwater drain down the face and glisten in the sun. Where did those huge rock faces come from?
The geology lesson begins 390 million years ago, according to “A Geologic Adventure Along the Blue Ridge Parkway In North Carolina,” by North Carolina Geological Survey. Magma deep within the Earth cooled and crystallized to form several different types of granite. This granite has been uplifted through the earth’s crust, weathered and eroded over the past 90 million years.
As the top layers of rock weathered away, the removal their weight allowed the granite below to rise. The granite fractured along concentric lines, similar to the layers of an onion. Additional fractures perpendicular to those layers create individual plates or flakes. Those plates wore off in a process called exfoliation, which continues to this day.
Use caution on Looking Glass. The lack of guardrails makes this a special place, but numerous hikers have died from getting too close to the edge.
On the trail: Yellow blazes mark the main path, which strikes out from the trailhead along a creek. The trail leaves the creek and follows steep switchbacks up to the 2-mile mark, then eases up for the last mile.
Directions: From Asheville, head south on NC 191, also known as Brevard Road. Continue for 7 miles past the Blue Ridge Parkway. As NC 191 veers off to the left, stay straight onto NC 280 west. Continue for 11.3 miles to the intersection with US 64 and US 276. Turn right on US 276. After passing several picnic areas, look for Forest Service Road 475 on the left. The turnoff will be well marked with signs for Looking Glass. If you pass Looking Glass Falls, you went to far.
This trailhead can also be accessed by coming down US 276 from the Blue Ridge Parkway at mile 412.
Maps: Trails Illustrated #780, Pisgah Ranger District (Visit our online store).
