Blowing Rock (land feature)

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The actual Blowing Rock land feature as seen from the Blowing Rock Park

The observation deck at Blowing Rock.

Blowing Rock is a rocky outcropping, at the town of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, above a gorge in Caldwell County, in the northwest of that state.

The prevailing wind blows through the gorge toward Blowing Rock. There, at the end of the gorge, the wind's path of least resistance is up the steep slopes surmounted by the outcropping, resulting in a nearly vertical wind, typically quite strong, accounting for "Blowing" as part of the spot's name. The view from Blowing Rock down the largely undisturbed forest of the gorge is unobstructed, long, and striking.

The legend of the Blowing Rock is that a Cherokee brave leapt from the rock into the wilderness below, only to have a gust of wind return him back to his lover on top of the rock.

Access to the outcropping is privately held, and is granted to tourists for a fee payable at the adjacent souvenir shop.