About the Area

Wilson Creek: 49,000 Acres of Rugged Wilderness

Forty-nine thousand acres of wilderness comprise the Wilson Creek area, one of North Carolina's most pristine and rugged terrains. Camping, kayaking, hunting and fishing, waterfall hikes, off-road driving, and mountain biking are available in selected areas. Opportunities for adventure and activity abound for every skill level including the most experienced outdoorsmen.

A 23.3-mile mountain stream, Wilson Creek was added to the National Wild and Scenic River System in 2000. Much of Wilson Creek lies within the Pisgah National Forest. The stream starts atop 5,920-foot high Grandfather Mountain, just 100 yards above the Blue Ridge Parkway. Twenty miles later, the headwaters rush through the Blue Ridge Mountains into a 200-foot deep gorge of granite bedrock.

From its boulder-strewn headwaters, kayakers plunge through rapids with names like "Boatbuster" and "Thunderhole" in what is recognized as one of the most challenging runs in the southeastern United States. Twenty-five miles of wilderness trails offer hikers and backpackers striking views of small waterfalls and forests intertwined with laurel and rhododendron. Pristine trout waters draw avid fishermen while mountain bikers find single-track systems, creating opportunities for all abilities. Thirty-four miles of trails are open to all-terrain and off-highway vehicles in the Brown Mountain Off-Highway Vehicle Area.

Pisgah National Forest and the Linville Gorge Wilderness

Grandfather Ranger District: (828) 652-2144

Wilson Creek Visitor Information Center: (828) 759-0005

The forest covers land west of U.S. 321 and north of N.C. 18. This section of Pisgah National Forest lies in the Grandfather Ranger District which stretches between Asheville and Blowing Rock and covers Wilson Creek, Brown Mountain Off-Highway Vehicle Area, and Boone Fork Campground. Bordered by Grandfather Mountain on the west, Linville Gorge on the southwest and Brown Mountain on the east, Wilson Creek offers good hunting, fishing, hiking, and whitewater opportunities. The Brown Mountain Beach Off-Highway Vehicle Area provides trails for trail bikes, ATVs, and other four-wheel drive vehicles. The Boone Fork Campground offers group camping, fishing and hiking opportunities.

The Linville River with its source high on Grandfather Mountain has, by its tremendous scouring action, formed one of Eastern America's most scenic and rugged gorges. The steep walls of the Gorge enclose the Linville River for 12 miles. The river's swift waters descend over 2,000 feet before breaking into the open levels of the Catawba Valley, Elevation averages 3,400 feet along the rim of the Gorge and 2,000 feet on Linville River.The Linville Gorge Wilderness , in the western North Carolina Mountains, is part of the Pisgah National Forest. The gorge is formed by Jonas Ridge on the east, and Linville Mountain on the west and is bisected by the Linville River, which drops into the valleys below. The odd assortment of rock formations located on Jonas Ridge include Sitting Bear, Hawksbill, Table Rock, and the Chimneys. Elevations range from 1,300 feet on the Linville River to 4,120 feet on Gingercake Mountain. The terrain is extremely steep and rugged with numerous rock formations. It is covered by a dense hardwood/pine forest and a wide variety of smaller trees and other plants. Recreation opportunities include hiking,backpacking, rock climbing, fishing, and hunting.

Linville Gorge was first designated a wild area in 1951 by the Chief of the Forest Service. With the signing of the Wilderness Act of 1964, the area became one of the original components of the National Wilderness System. The original 7,575 acres was increased to the present 12,002 acres by the 1984 North Carolina Wilderness Act.

Linville Falls

This region was the summer home of the Cherokee Indians until military removal in 1778. Their name for the falls was "The Great Falls" and the river "Eeeseeoh," the river of cliffs. In 1766, William and John Lynvile, while on a hunting trip, were massacred by the Indians two miles above the falls. The area then assumed the name of Lynvile and the falls were known as "the Great Falls of Lynvile."

At first there was only one distinct falls cascading over the rock formation. In the 1873, the lower ledge gave way. Now the Upper Falls flows over a twelve-foot rock shelf, then the water drops 90 feet at the Lower Falls into a swirling pool. This pool, known as the Plunge Basin, heads the 12,000 acres of Linville Gorge Wilderness Area, unequaled in depth and wilderness in eastern America. For a distance of about 12 miles below the falls, the turbulent river flows in a series of cascades through a narrow gorge. The sides of the gorge reach to depths of 600 to 2000 feet and cut down through the eroded Linville quartzites into the granite below.

Linville Mountain and Jonas Ridge cradle the river making accessible the many trails into the gorge and views of the beautiful and intriguing formations of Sitting Bear, Hawksbill, Table Rock and the famous Brown Mountain Lights.

Lake James

Lake James is one of the cleanest, clearest lakes in the Carolinas. It also has some of the best views, as the high mountains of the Pisgah National Forest burst skyward beyond the water to the northwest. The fine waters of the Pisgah feed Lake James.

Located at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, between the towns of Marion and Morganton, Lake James is 1,200 feet above sea level. The lake was created between 1916 and 1923 with the construction of dams across the Catawba River and two tributaries, Paddy Creek and Linville River. These impoundments were connected by a broad canal to form a 6,510-acre body of water. Named for James B. Duke, founder of Duke Power Company, Lake James has been a hydroelectric unit for the power company since the early 1900s.