It appears that I'll be in the general area of Charlotte, N.C. (specifically Concord) the final week of March. I'm a landscape photographer, with a secondary interest in wildflowers...is the last week of this month too early for anything to be blooming in that neck of the woods?
I've not been in this part of the state before (I'm based in the Midwest, BTW) and was wondering if anyone with greater experience could point me toward some interesting locations. I'm aware of the Blue Ridge, having photographed there before, but that's probably out of my range for this trip; I'm looking for something a bit closer to my base of operations.
Kerry, I don't know a lot about the area right around Charlotte but an hour or less east of Charlotte there is a beautiful state park called Morrow Mountain State Park on the Pee Dee River. It will surely have wildflowers blooming there at that time. We have lots of stuff blooming around Raleigh right now. I saw Hepatica, Spring Beauty, Trout Lilies, and Windflower blooming just this past weekend. I'm sure two weeks from now there will be a lot of other stuff as well. I'm sure there are some folks from the Charlotte area and perhaps the northern section of South Carolina who can chime in.
Hi Kerry. South Mountains State Park is not far from Charlotte, located south of Morganton. It has wildflowers and a waterfall. Pearson's Falls is in Polk County, NC (Tryon), about 2 hours from Charlotte. A beautiful waterfall, profuse wildflowers in April, although you may be a bit early for the majority of them. I'm not familiar with anything closer to Charlotte. I live west of Charlotte and usually head west toward the mountains when I go out. I hope you have a good trip.
Bill: Morrow Mountain SP sounds very interesting--it's definitely on my to do list. Thanks so much for bringing it to my attention. I may also poke my nose into the nearby Uwharrie National Forest.
Alice, along with Morrow Mountain, South Mountains SP is now at the top of my list of places to visit (I guess they're an interchangeable 1A and 1B). I'll see if I can make it out to Pearson's Falls--if I get a nice solid overcast forecast I'll be able to justify it to myself to make the lengthy roundtrip, and perhaps even push on to Looking Glass Falls (which I found via an intertwined Web link).
Thanks very much to both of you for the recommendations, and if anyone has any other suggestions, please don't hesitiate to pass them along.
I wasn't sure you would want to go that far (to Lookinglass Falls). You're almost on the parkway at that point, so you could include some mountain scenics if you had the time. I haven't gone yet, but plan to go to Twin Falls that is very close to Lookinglass Falls. The falls themselves are not spectacular according to what I have read, but the hike is supposed to be very good. If I recall it's about 2 miles with lots of flowers and cascades along the stream. Google up some information on Transylvania County waterfalls and you will find more. Hope you have a good trip. What will you be doing in Charlotte?
Posted by Harry Davis on March 14, 2007 at 2:47 PM
Kerry,
About 40 miles south of Charlotte near Lancaster, SC is the Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve. It's supposed to be a good spot for late March and has long been on my list of places to photograph. Unfortunately, it's a VERY long list so I haven't been yet. Check out their website (SC Department of Natural Resources) at http://www.dnr.sc.gov/managed/heritage/fortyacrock/description.html
I may not go that far (i.e. all the way to Looking Glass); it's still an open question. I'd really like to hit the Parkway if I can, but I'm guessing that's not going to happen. It would be nice to do some overlook shooting at or near sunset, but that would leave me a very long drive back in the dark. (I spent a week in the fall of '04 shooting at GSMNP and along the Blue Ridge Parkway and had a great time; I'd love to do it again some time, in the spring or in the fall.)
In any case, I found some links to Twin Falls and it certainly does sound like a very nice hike with plenty of shooting opportunities; if I make it that far west and the conditions are favorable, I'll have to try to check it out.
What will you be doing in Charlotte?
Good question. The truth is (I couldn't make this up), my wife is showing our two collies in a dog show (The Collie National--yes, there is such a thing, believe it or not) in Concord that week. Dog shows aren't really my thing, but she wanted someone to help with the drive (I split my time between Chicago and Indianapolis, so it's a long haul) and it seemed like a great opportunity for me to spend some time exploring an area I haven't experienced to date, camera and tripod in hand. I must say, the more I read about these places, the more excited I am to see them for myself!
I checked out the Forty Acre Rock HP Web site and it certainly does sound very promising (not to mention incredibly unique). It also gives me a good excuse to dip into South Carolina, so I will definitely plan to check it out. Thanks very much for the recommendation.
In fact, thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I anticipate a very fruitful photographic foray and you folks are largely responsible for my optimism. I deeply appreciate all the assistance.
Discussion
7 repliesI've not been in this part of the state before (I'm based in the Midwest, BTW) and was wondering if anyone with greater experience could point me toward some interesting locations. I'm aware of the Blue Ridge, having photographed there before, but that's probably out of my range for this trip; I'm looking for something a bit closer to my base of operations.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Alice, along with Morrow Mountain, South Mountains SP is now at the top of my list of places to visit (I guess they're an interchangeable 1A and 1B). I'll see if I can make it out to Pearson's Falls--if I get a nice solid overcast forecast I'll be able to justify it to myself to make the lengthy roundtrip, and perhaps even push on to Looking Glass Falls (which I found via an intertwined Web link).
Thanks very much to both of you for the recommendations, and if anyone has any other suggestions, please don't hesitiate to pass them along.
--Kerry
About 40 miles south of Charlotte near Lancaster, SC is the Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve. It's supposed to be a good spot for late March and has long been on my list of places to photograph. Unfortunately, it's a VERY long list so I haven't been yet. Check out their website (SC Department of Natural Resources) at http://www.dnr.sc.gov/managed/heritage/fortyacrock/description.html
Good luck with your trip.
I may not go that far (i.e. all the way to Looking Glass); it's still an open question. I'd really like to hit the Parkway if I can, but I'm guessing that's not going to happen. It would be nice to do some overlook shooting at or near sunset, but that would leave me a very long drive back in the dark. (I spent a week in the fall of '04 shooting at GSMNP and along the Blue Ridge Parkway and had a great time; I'd love to do it again some time, in the spring or in the fall.)
In any case, I found some links to Twin Falls and it certainly does sound like a very nice hike with plenty of shooting opportunities; if I make it that far west and the conditions are favorable, I'll have to try to check it out.
Good question. The truth is (I couldn't make this up), my wife is showing our two collies in a dog show (The Collie National--yes, there is such a thing, believe it or not) in Concord that week. Dog shows aren't really my thing, but she wanted someone to help with the drive (I split my time between Chicago and Indianapolis, so it's a long haul) and it seemed like a great opportunity for me to spend some time exploring an area I haven't experienced to date, camera and tripod in hand. I must say, the more I read about these places, the more excited I am to see them for myself!
I checked out the Forty Acre Rock HP Web site and it certainly does sound very promising (not to mention incredibly unique). It also gives me a good excuse to dip into South Carolina, so I will definitely plan to check it out. Thanks very much for the recommendation.
In fact, thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I anticipate a very fruitful photographic foray and you folks are largely responsible for my optimism. I deeply appreciate all the assistance.