Frightened Cherokees from across their Nation gathered to ask the Great Spirit for help in getting rid of the monster. After days and nights of prayer, an awesome, blinding bolt of lightning and a tremendous thunderclap came out of a clear sky to shatter much of the mountain, killing the beast and its offspring. A Cherokee warrior, posted as a lookout near the cliffs, not only was killed by the lightning but was turned to stone, some said as a punishment for being a poor sentry. Visitors may not be able to pick out this stone effigy from among the jumble of rocks, but they can easily see the cliffs that were torn asunder by the Great Spirit's benevolent bolt of lightning. This trail follows Bearpen Creek upstream to several large boggy areas containing wildflowers.
Trout fishing is excellent in the many small pools created by cascading waters.
Betty Creek Gap - This trail begins on F.S. Road 67 about four miles beyond the Standing Indian Campground turnoff. It crosses the Nantahala River, passes through a tunnel of rhododendron and ends at the Appalachian Trail at Betty Creek Gap. It crosses the Nantahala River, then meanders through extensive rhododendron and birch thickets. Good views are provided of Big Indian Creek, the tumbling stream for which the trail is named. This is a designated horse trail, but is also used by hikers, hunters, and fishers.