High Rocks Trail

High Rocks is a 19.4 mile out and back from the Lakeshore Trailhead at the end of Lakeview Drive to a rocky overlook above Fontana Lake. The complete route follows Lakeshore, Forney Creek, Bear Creek and Welch Ridge before the final High Rocks spur. Plan 11 to 12 hours and about 4,750 feet of climbing. The named High Rocks Trail itself is only about 0.3 mile each way; that short spur is the final leg, not the whole hike. Choose this for a hard, remote day in the backcountry, not as a quick viewpoint stop.

Lakeshore Trail begins where Lakeview Drive ends. The first 0.6 mile passes through a tunnel cut for the planned North Carolina 288; the highway was never completed. Beyond the tunnel, stay on Lakeshore Trail along Fontana Lake. Keep to the main trail at the Tunnel Bypass and Goldmine Loop junctions. At about 3.1 miles from the road, turn onto Forney Creek Trail; after roughly 0.4 mile, Bear Creek branches off. Those turns are easy to overlook if you are following a track for just the last spur.

Bear Creek climbs about 5.8 miles up the mountain to Welch Ridge. Continue about 0.3 mile on Welch Ridge to the High Rocks junction, then take the short spur to the outcrop. The last climb is on a native surface path under rhododendron, with old stone steps near the top. Summer growth can rise high enough to hide parts of the tread. The whole mapped route is about 9.7 miles to the rocks; retrace it to make the 19.4 mile round trip.

The trail ends on an exposed rocky outcrop at about 5,190 feet, with a southern view over Fontana Lake and the ridges beyond. Leave a little of the rock in the foreground if you want a photo that shows where you are, not just another layered mountain view. The Civilian Conservation Corps built a 46 foot fire tower and a caretaker cabin here in 1935–36. The Park Service removed the tower by helicopter in the late 1980s; concrete footings remain. The cabin is still standing but badly deteriorated and unsafe to enter.

There is no road access near High Rocks; every mile of the approach is part of the hike. Cellular service is very limited in the park, so save the route map before you leave town. Dogs are not allowed on this route; the only two park trails that permit leashed pets are elsewhere. A valid park parking tag is required for a vehicle left longer than 15 minutes. No food, restroom or confirmed drinking water stop was found along this route; do not count on the old summit cistern, whose current condition and water are unverified.