Incredible Vistas to Enjoy on the Skyline Trail

Due to winter capital improvements, the Outcroppings and Skyline trails will be closed until spring 2012. There is currently no access to the Chimney and points of interest above, including the Opera Box, Devil’s Head and Exclamation Point. The elevator and Sky Lounge will also remain closed until spring 2012. Read more about improvements, winter hours and reduced admission here.

This 20-minute, moderate-to-strenuous hike finds you looking down over Chimney Rock and Lake Lure as you start your ascent of the mountain. The trek courses through lush woodland on natural cliffs, up stairs and along switchbacks to such geologic spectacles as the menacing Devil’s Head, the remarkable overhang and panoramic vistas at the Opera Box, to the highest peak in the Park:
2,480-ft. Exclamation Point.

The dramatic beauty of Hickory Nut Gorge with its breathtaking sheer cliffs makes the jaunt to Exclamation Point well worth the effort. The name of this lookout speaks for itself! It’s no wonder that 20th Century Fox chose these views as the backdrop for several scenes in their 1992 release of the movie The Last of the Mohicans.