Agile Trekker: Cedar Rock, Dupont State Recreational Forest

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
3/29/2026	5.1 miles	2 hours 58 minutes	757'	1.8 mph	62.1

Parking:

Corn Mill Shoals Access

Map:

Gaia GPS app
Pisgah Map Co. Dupont

Directions:

Cross the street and start on the gravel Corn Mill Shoals Trail. Pass the Longside Trail and then turn left onto Big Rock Trail. Hike to Cedar Rock, where there is a sign on the rock face. Turn left onto Cedar Rock Trail. Follow it downhill to the Little River Trail. Turn right onto Little River Trail. Pass a turn for the Cedar Rock trail. and follow Little River Trail until it reaches the intersection with the Corn Mill Shoals Trail. Turn around and head back on Little River Trail. Turn left at the first intersection with Cedar Rock Trail. Climb steeply back uphill. At the top, turn left onto Big Rock Trail and return to the parking area.

One of my favorite hikes in Dupont. We've done a variation of it before in January a couple of years ago. It was a weekend, which meant more people, and we did see a fair number of mountain bikers and a few hikers, but it wasn't too bad. Still, a better hike for a weekday. And definitely not a hike for the summer due to sun exposure. The hike up Big Rock Trail is pretty rocky. I'm amazed that mountain bikers do this. Maybe they only do it going downhill. Along the way to the intersection with the Cedar Rock Trail, you'll hit other views. And then the top of Cedar Rock is so pretty. Cedar Rock is considered part of a pluton. It reminds me of some areas in NY, but in NY the rock faces were caused by glaciers, not volcanic activity. My understanding is that the plutons were caused by cooling magma, hundreds of millions of years ago. Our mountains are so old! There are beautiful, stunted pines along the trail - I believe they are Table Mountain pines, Pitch pines, and Eastern White pines. The Little River Trail is flat and easy. The last time we hiked it, it was very overgrown - I think we ended up bushwhacking! I heard that they put some money into fixing it up, and it's now a very clear trail.