Tory’s Den Cave in Walnut Cove, North Carolina

The Sauratown Mountains are known as the “mountains away from the mountains”; separated from the nearby Blue Ridge and once as tall as the Rockies, over hundreds of millions of years they have eroded to their present state. Moore’s Knob is the highest point in this range at 2,579 feet above sea level. Hard quartzite rock protected the Sauras from eroding as much as the surrounding piedmont terrain, which averages 800-1,200 feet above sea level.

Much of the Sauratown Mountains are protected by Pilot Mountain State Park and Hanging Rock State Park. Hidden within Hanging Rock is a fascinating treasure: a natural cave known as Tory’s Den.

The name comes from a supposed connection to backcountry loyalists who, legend has it, used the cave as a hideout during the American Revolution until they were driven out of the area by a local Patriot militia.

The cave is easily accessible via a short hike.