|
|
The 526,798-acre
Nantahala National Forest located to the west of Asheville offers family camping, boating,
fishing, horse trails and miles of hiking trails. Nantahala is home to the
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, one of the nation’s most impressive preserves of
old-growth forest. Here you may
 view magnificent examples of over 100 species of
trees, some over 20 feet in circumference and 100 feet high. Explored in 1540 by
Spanish Conquistador Hernando DeSoto and established in 1920 under the 1911
Weeks Act, this 3,800-acre forest was set aside in 1936 as a memorial to Joyce
Kilmer, the soldier/poet who wrote the famous poem “Trees.” Scenic drives,
excellent fishing and rafting the whitewaters of the Nantahala River are among
the forest’s biggest attractions. Nantahala is also renowned for waterfalls and
its beautiful chain of pristine lakes. Black bears, bobcats, white-tailed deer
and other animals indigenous to the Appalachians abound in the Forest.
Website:
Nantahala National Forest
Location: West of Asheville
Distance: 2-3 hours from Asheville
Address: Cheoah District Ranger Office, Massey Branch Rd., Rt. 1 (PO Box 16A),
Robbinsville, NC
28771
Highlands Ranger District: 2010 Flat Mountain Rd.,
Highlands, NC 28741
Telephone: Nantahala National Forest Cheoah District Ranger
828-479-6431
Highlands Ranger District 828-526-3765
Hours: Ranger Office: April-November Daily 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; December-March 8
a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday
Fees: None to enter park
Camping: Tsali, Cheoah, Horse Cove, and Cable Cove
campgrounds.
Tips:
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, part of the Nantahala
National Forest, is a virgin, never-logged forest. Not to be missed
if you visit.
Resources:
Forest Supervisor/National Forests in NC,106 A Zillicoa Street, Asheville, NC
28801; 828-257-4200.
Nearby:
Fontana Lake,
Lake Santeetlah,
Great Smoky Mountains
National Park,
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest
Directions: From Asheville take I-40 West. Take Exit 27 to 74 West. Follow 74
West to NC 19. Follow NC 19 to Nantahala.
|
 |
