Exclamation Point Trail
At A Glance
0.6 mi one-way
Difficulty Rating: 0.6 
Steepness: Climbs Steeply
Tread Condition: Moderately Rough
Hikes That Use This Trail: Chimney Rock Tour
Description
The Exclamation Point trail leads from the Chimney to the eponymous point in Chimney Rock Park, a rock outcropping overlooking the Hickory Nut Gorge at 2480 ft. This strenuous trail finds you looking down over Chimney Rock and Lake Lure as you start your ascent of the mountain. The trek courses through dry, rocky woodland on natural cliffs, up stairs and around a few switchbacks to such geologic spectacles as the Devil’s Head (a head-shaped rock); the Opera Box (a remarkable overhang with panoramic vistas); and then on to Exclamation Point.
The overlook looms high over the Gorge and valley floor more than 1,300 feet below. The dramatic beauty of Hickory Nut Gorge with its breathtaking sheer cliffs makes the effort needed to reach Exclamation Point well worthwhile.
Note: this trail is the first part of what used to be named the Skyline trail. When the bulk of it was closed for safety reasons, the part remaining open was renamed the Exclamation Point trail. A new Skyline trail leading beyond Exclamation Point to the top of Hickory Nut Falls has been opened as of September 2017!
Intersecting Trails
This trail is located in the Chimney Rock State Park area. For a list of all the trails in that area, see the Chimney Rock State Park trails list page.
All Photos from the Trail
GPS Map
Map Information
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Data Formats
KML (Google Earth)
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GPX
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GeoJSON
GeoJSON is a newer, lightweight data exchange format which can be used to quickly share map data and may have a smaller size than KML or GPX. Many professional mapping and GIS applications support the GeoJSON format.
About the Map
Copyright
Base Layers
Base layers provided by OpenStreetMap, the US Geological Survey, the US Forest Service, and NC OneMap. Base layer images are subject to the respective copyright policies of their owners. Base layers may not be available at all times due to system maintenance or outages.
WNCOutdoors Base Layer
The WNCOutdoors Base layer is provided by WNCOutdoors.info. It is licensed by Creative Commons Attribution 3.0.
Trail and Marker Overlays
Trail layers and downloadable data are all original works created by WNCOutdoors with guidance from a variety of sources, including ensembles of our own GPS tracks, user contributed GPS tracks, official maps and GIS data from government agencies, and field observations. WNCOutdoors data is made freely available under the Open Database License - you are free to copy and use it for any purpose under the terms of that license (summary).
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Trail Segments
Trails are often made up of several connecting paths which may have different characteristics, allowed uses, and seasons. This trail is divided into multiple segments as follows:
Skyline Trail - Chimney to Split
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 0.2 mi
Skyline Trail - Exclamation Point Loop (Lower)
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 300 ft
Skyline Trail - Exclamation Point Loop (Upper)
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 112 ft
Skyline - Opera Box Spur
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 90 ft
Skyline - Devil's Head Spur
- Allowed Uses: Hiking
- Length: 84 ft
Total Calculated Length: 0.31 mi
This value is derived from our underlying map data, and it may not match officially published information.
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Diana Valdes cruz said: I Love North Carolina . My Home.😢😁