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Suggested Page Improvements to Stone Depot
Follow the guidebooks to Cedar Rock. Hike off to the left of the road, pass the gate and walk on the forest service road. Hike as if going to Cedar. You'll get to Butter Gap after a mile or so of road hiking. Butter Gap is clearly marked.
There are 6 trails that intersect here. There is a signed forest service trail going downhill to your left. Don't go there, it ends up at the Fish Hatchery. The next trail going clockwise is pretty much directly across the clearing and goes uphill. Take this one. It can be difficult to see due to the amount of debris that occasionally obscures the trail. It's the smallest trail leading out of this clearing, and it's the only way going directly uphill.
The next trail (in a clockwise direction) is a level road- it goes to Cedar, which is visible right in front of you. The others are to your right and go lots of various places.
Take the proper trail for about half a mile until it starts getting steeper and rockier. You'll eventually hit a rock step or slab about thirty feet long. It's not much more than a 5.1 or .2, but if you have young climbers, you'll need to step carefully (especially coming back down!).
Above this is a nice trail. Head to the right and follow this trail on around back to the left. After about 5 or 10 minutes of walking, the trail will fork. Take the left fork. The right fork goes to the top of a beautiful stone slab that overlooks Cedar Rock. The left takes you up to Stone Depot after about ten more minutes of hiking.
From where the trail hits the cliff line, most of the routes are to the left. The farther left you go, the more routes you'll find. If you go to the right at the cliff line, you'll find a trail that eventually takes you all the way to the top of Stone Depot.
Here is a link to Gaia GPS for the hike in from Cathy's Creek Rd (FR471):
All in all, this hike is about 45-60 minutes of continuous hiking to the cliff.
Follow the guidebooks to Cedar Rock. Hike off to the left of the road, pass the gate and walk on the forest service road. Hike as if going to Cedar. You'll get to Butter Gap after a mile or so of road hiking. Butter Gap is clearly marked.
The approach to Stone Depot has changed as of 2024. Visit the Carolina Climbers Coalition's map for updates: https://www.carolinaclimbers.org/content/cedar-rock-trail-updates.html
