Bays Mountain State Park Day Hike

Our twentieth hike of the year ... December 30, 2024
Mom, Sally & I
5.65 miles / 1,204' elevation gain
Trails used ... Cliffside - Dolan Branch - Lakeside - Sweetgum - Chinquapin - Fire Tower - Hemlock - Holly Loop
This was a recovery hike for us both ... mom recovering from her fall on the last backpacking trip and me with a cold. We arrived at the parking area near the visitor center - where I ran in and got some goodies. The visitor center was nice with a selection of goodies. I'll note the wildlife habitats are also in the area to the east of the visitor center but it's not a pet friendly area. Bays Mountain provides a map of areas where dogs are allowed.
We set out not really having a plan since we didn't know how long our energy would last. We walked through the adjacent parking area to connect to the Cliffside trail where there was a small overlook looking south. Continuing along we passed by the observatories, the spillway at the dam, and connected to Dolan Branch to see the small falls - definitely a cool little waterfall. We walked further down to Dolan Branch to the second bridge before backtracking back up to the dam to the Lakeside trail. We turned left onto Lakeside trail and walked across the dam - enjoying views of Bays Mountain Reservoir. At the end of the dam - Bays Mountain had a nice sign with a map of the park and a QR code where you could download the park map in Avenza (it's free and totally worth it!). After downloading the park map - we continued along Lakeside and finally spotted the CCC fire tower up on the ridgeline. A quick check-in followed ... do we try and make our way up there or stick to the lake. The decision was to try the fire tower. The sun came out to help warm us up and boost our collective mood.
There's a couple of nice bridges along the way - where Sally did her Sally shake and about threw Sally cam into the water. We turned left onto Sweetgum trail - which is just a short connector to Chinquapin trail. The climb along Chinquapin wasn't too bad - very gradual. We then connected up to Fire Tower trail ... and from here the trail continued to be pretty moderate. This leads up to River Mountain Road where you take a right and this leads up to the CCC Fire Tower past a set of stairs to nowhere. I was eager to climb the tower - Sally was looking at me like "are you crazy!?"! I led the way - Sally in the middle - and mom coming in behind. Well after three flights ... Sally had had enough and retreated to the second flight and stayed there while we continued to climb. Making it to the top ... the views looking all the way around were absolutely fantastic and we had it all to ourselves! After enjoying the view - Mom made her way back down while I stayed up just a couple more minutes enjoying the views. I eventually made my way back down where Sally was eagerly waiting on my return!
Exploring around the base ... there are a couple of nice benches to sit and enjoy the views. There was also some old foundations - not sure what used to be there but it was interesting to see. We then made our way back down the way we came until the intersection with Chinquapin where we chose to stay straight to stay on Fire Tower which turned into Hemlock trail which was a very nice trail. We then got back on Lakeside where we turned left to see more of the reservoir. A short ways down we took the side trail - Holly Loop - which was a walk through a beautiful forest with nice views of the reservoir about halfway around it. We then re-emerged back onto the Lakeside trail - bearing right - we continued along the reservoir. We passed by the Pavilion where we thought it'd be a beautiful spot for an outdoor wedding and a barge where they apparently do rides on the reservoir (according to the park website - it lasts about 45 minutes). We then ended up back behind the visitor center where we took a left to return to our car.
Things to note ... mom & I both thought this was a relatively easy trail. It's moderate in places with some little climbs but in all honesty - still easy for us. These would be some great trails to get exposed to hiking because all of them we experienced was well graded (not alot of rocks/roots) and the climbs very mild. Plus, there's plenty of connector trails to make a variety of loops and stuff. They do allow mountain biking here - so definitely be aware of your surroundings. The wildlife habitats and planetarium would be worthwhile to see (but these are not pet friendly areas). Also, this is a city park - so there is an entrance fee. Overall, we really enjoyed it and can't wait to return to see what the other trails are like.
For more park information - www.baysmounta...

[@dirtribbonaddiction]

thanks for posting. i've been curious about this place. looks like it's worth checking out

[@roselee_explores]

Absolutely! Thank you for watching and I'm happy it was helpful. I definitely think it's worthwhile to check out. There's also another fire tower on the opposing ridge and a lookout point (looks more east I think). So, lots to see and I'm thinking it might be a pretty spring hike to see wildflowers. Hopefully you have a fantastic visit.