When you visit this soaring vantage point, perched high above Hickory Nut Gorge, it will make you feel like the bird for which it was named. Peregrine’s Rest offers the first full view of spectacular 404-foot Hickory Nut Falls along the Skyline Trail. Using your keen eyesight, you’ll spot the waterfall to your left. Make sure you take in the sweeping view of the Gorge below. It’s a high-flying experience!
While you’re taking in the view, you might have the chance to see the amazing air acrobatics of a Peregrine falcon high above the Gorge. Slicing through the air at more than 60 mph or swooping on smaller birds in flight at the incredible speed of over 200 mph, Peregrine falcons (Falco Peregrinus) once again grace the skies in the North Carolina mountains!
By the early 1960s, none of these striking birds were found in the area; they had been brought to near extinction through the use of the insecticide DDT. In 1972, the U.S. and several other countries banned the use of DDT and in recent years, Peregrine falcons have made a comeback thanks to captive-breeding programs. By 1989, the population had grown substantially in the region: 52 pairs made nesting attempts and raised 96 young in the wild that year.
In 1990, three of these young birds fledged from the high, nearly inaccessible cliffs in Chimney Rock Park, and since then, Peregrines have been sighted in the area almost every year.
The Chimney Rock Park family expanded recently when the Carolina Raptor Center out of Charlotte, N.C. named us the official "parent" of a Peregrine falcon named Gale. It's the Raptor Center's way of saying thanks for the Park's support of its efforts to protect and rehabilitate injured birds of prey.
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