Outdoor Enthusiasts Adventure to Lake Lure & The Blue Ridge Foothills

Already famous for Chimney Rock State Park, it is a growing fact that Rutherford County is an adrenaline junkie’s hub for outdoor adventures. Ziplines, mountain biking and cycling trails, rappelling, world-class bouldering and more fun await. Or, pick from a long list of water sports and make some wakes on Lake Lure. Add golf, hiking, equestrian sport and fly fishing to complete your mountain getaway. Reward yourself with a 75-mile panoramic view from atop Chimney Rock itself. Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park offers a variety of hiking trails for all ages and abilities.

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Gear Dropping Accommodations

For adventure-bound travelers the great outdoors beckons. Let your lodging reflect that interest! From the forested depths of Golden Valley to the picturesque towns of Lake Lure and Chimney Rock, Rutherford county has more adventurer-friendly lodging options than you can imagine. Need a spot to kick back on a lakeside dock, or a picturesque mountainside cabin? How about an amenity-filled campground with a view? Even if your ideal accommodations require a side of hotel conveniences, there are multitudes of options from resorts to inns, and cabins to campgrounds. All of these and more are available on our website, so finding your perfect adventure resting spot only takes a click or two.

Gear Dropping Accommodations Yogi Park

Yummy Discoveries - Pie Safe Baking Co

Yummy Discoveries

Regardless of your preferred style of adventures, there's nothing better than kicking back with sublime food and beverage at the end of an incredible day. In Forest City, check out Fat Tracy's. With a laid back setting that includes hand pulled Bar-B-Q and Friday night ribs specials, it’s the perfect location to chill out and munch. And if you’re looking for the perfect sugar rush, stop by The Pie Safe Baking Company for one of their deliciously baked goodies. The Moose & Goose Lounge in Lake Lure is a relaxed atmosphere with great menus and incredible views, and Barley’s Taproom & Pizzaria in Spindale offers a combination of pizzas, calzones, sandwiches, and subs, and was rated one of the ‘Best Taprooms in the South’ by Southern Draught Magazine.

Exhilarating Activities

Nothing says adventure like pushing the boundaries of your physical prowess, and here in Rutherford county we’ve got more than enough options to keep even the most seasoned of adventurers challenged. If the sports of rock climbing, bouldering, and rappelling entice, Chimney Rock State Park is the place for you. In addition to its famed hiking trails, the park allows rock climbing, rappelling, and bouldering on Eagle Rock and on the south face of Rumbling Bald Mountain. Climbing Eagle Rock requires the purchase of park access, but Rumbling Bald Mountain can be accessed without entrance to the park.

While we’re on the subject of hiking, if pushing yourself to the brink of exhaustion on a scenic and challenging trail is exactly what you’re searching for, the South Mountains Game Lands & State Park offers 40 miles of mid to high difficulty trails that are perfect for seasoned runners, hikers, mountain bikers, or horseback riders. Pair that with the spectacular year-round views of Golden Valley and you’ve got one seriously beautiful adrenaline rush. Buffalo Creek Park offers over 12 miles of trails through 1,527 acres of natural forest along the head of Hickory Nut Gorge at the town of Lake Lure. Their 3.5-mile loop features terrain and elevation changes and moderate climbs, and is perfect for runners, hikers, or mountain bikers. You can even access the Weed Patch Mountain Trail  which extends 8.6 miles from the highest point of Buffalo Creek Park, looping up into Eagle Rock at Chimney Rock State Park.

Exhilarating Activities - Chimney Rock

Prefer your thrill-seeking moments airborne? The outdoor adventure park at Canopy Ridge Farm offers exhilarating zipline tours of Hickory Nut Gorge that range across 60 acres of the area’s hardwood forests, including their largest line Zipzilla. If you want to get your thrills a little less sky level, they also have exciting UTV tours! Leave the beaten path behind as you drive or ride along in one of their Kawasaki UTVs over hills, across logs, and through diversely forested terrain.

If reveling in the beauty of nature from atop a faithful steed sounds like your ideal form of excitement, we’ve got your perfect breed of adventure. Riverside Riding Stables offers 1-hour guided trail rides, 2-hour river rides that literally allow you to swim with your horse as you traverse incredibly scenic mountain trails, and even 3-day, 2-night pack trips full of riding, fishing, and camping adventures. Not to be whinnied at, Cedar Creek Stables is another option that offers 1, 1.5, and 2-hour trail rides journeying across forests, thickets, creeks, and even mountain ridges on their Overlook Trail where you’ll experience some of the most spectacular mountain views you’ve ever seen.