Natural wonder: Magical 'Dragon Tree' hidden in the woods of Appalachia

There are many natural wonders hidden across North Carolina: The tiny 'fairy crosses' sprinkled across Appalachia, the mountain forests full of dancing blue ghost fireflies – and a mysterious 'Dragon Tree' seen arching by a waterfall off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Tucked away in the woods just across from another breathtaking natural wonder – the vista point for Looking Glass Rock – is a tree that has drawn visitors and dreamers for decades.

Many hikers discover the tree when wandering down the Mountains-to-Sea trail to see Skinny Dip Falls. Walking through the woods, full of tall and antique trees, suddenly you see it: The trees part, revealing the silhouette of a dragon arching from the earth, complete with scales made of bark, two horns stretching from its head and even facial features like eyes and nostrils.

Right beneath is a trail of flattened stones, allowing visitors to stand in the presence of the Dragon Tree's magic and pose as if with a real-life dragon.

Throughout the decades, hundreds of photos have been snapped as excited hikers take their opportunity to pose with the magical creature. Some pose as if feeding the dragon, nuzzling the dragon, kissing the dragon's nose.

"It's a trail-marker tree, created centuries ago by the indigenous people who lived here to help mark the water source," explained one passing hiker, who has been visiting the Dragon Tree and nearby waterfall since the 1970s.

Whether or not the Dragon Tree is truly a trail-maker tree has not been verified; however, many locals believe this is how the tree was created. Many also believe the tree is specifically here to mark the nearby waterfall, known as Skinny Dip Falls.

Skinny Dip Falls was once a popular swimming hole, with a striking waterfall towering around 30 feet tall.

Trail-maker trees may also have a 'nose,' or a little knob at the tip of the bend, which could have created the dragon's facial shape.

However, sometimes unusual bends in trees can be caused by natural occurrences, like a bad storm.

While the Dragon Tree is strikingly large – about the size one would imagine of a dragon – the trunk is not extremely thick, making it questionable whether the tree is old enough to have been a trail-marker tree.

Until the origins of the Dragon Tree are uncovered, most hikers are content to simply allow the tree to be just another mystery of the Old North State's magic.

The best place to park is near the Looking Glass Rock Overlook near milepost 417 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Mountains-to-Sea Trail picks up across the road, which takes hikers down to Skinny Dip Falls and right past the Dragon Tree.

If you are an expert on trail-marker trees or capable of determining the age of a tree, or if you know anything about the Dragon Tree's history, please email WRAL's Hidden Historian at hleah@wral.com to help solve the 'mystery' of this beautiful and unique tree.

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