Chimney Rock - Lake Lure

1-24-09 - In 2005, the North Carolina General Assembly wisely voted to authorize a new state park in the Hickory Nut Gorge area near Lake Lure in Rutherford County. Lake Lure is a popular visitor's destination and areas of ecological importance were being bought up and privately developed. Hickory Nut Gorge is home to a number of rare plant and animal species and many people recognized the need to save as much of this area as possible. Hickory Nut Gorge had been a conservation priority for The Nature Conservancy for over 20 years. Earlier acquisitions in the Gorge by TNC included 186 acres at Bat Cave and 788 acres on Rumbling Bald Mountain. In 2005, the World's Edge property in the Gorge became available and TNC along with the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy and other local organizations teamed together to save the 1,568 acre tract that bordered the privately held tourist destination Chimney Rock Park. Ownership of this property was transferred to the NC Division of Parks and Recreation to be included in the new state park. Early on, it appeared that the park would be called Hickory Nut Gorge State Park, but in 2006 the owners of Chimney Rock Park put their property up for sale and began negotiations with the state. Governor Mike Easley announced in May 2007 that the state had purchased Chimney Rock Park and it would now be the centerpiece of the new state park.

The park will now be called Chimney Rock State Park. Click here for the official web site and remember to always follow their rules and regulations! The only area that is currently opened to the public is Chimney Rock Park. A master plan for the state park will be developed and more areas will be opened to the public in the future. Saving land in the Hickory Nut Gorge is a continuous effort. TNC was able to purchase an additional 56 acres in September 2008 as a buffer to the Bat Cave Preserve and will eventually transfer the property to the state for inclusion in the state park. In 2008, the Conservancy also purchased 134 acres on the slopes of Round Top Mountain across from Chimney Rock and an additional 362 acres on the slopes of Rumbling Bald Mountain called the King tract. To date, about 3,500 acres have been saved for inclusion in the park.

Below are areas of the park that I have visited or have found information on. The best way to gain access to areas currently off limits to the general public is to get involved! Join the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy and volunteer or keep track of member hikes into these areas. Below is an aerial shot I took in late October 2006 looking at a lot of the Chimney Rock State Park property. Rumbling Bald is in the far right with Chimney Rock left center from a finger of Lake Lure. The World's Edge property is to the left with Cane Creek Mountain in the lower left. The Bat Cave Preserve is beyond Chimney Rock. This section of my site is a work in progress and I'll try to keep is as updated as new info becomes available. I have more pictures posted in my Chimney Rock State Park PBase gallery. Please email me with any info or links that would be helpful for everyone to know.

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Chimney Rock Park - currently the only part of the state park that is open to the public. Chimney Rock Park has been a tourist attraction for years and there is a fee to get in.

World's Edge - I was lucky enough to be invited on a hike to this part of the state park. Here's a bit of what I saw.

Rumbling Bald Mountain - I haven't had a chance to hike here yet. From what I understand, part of the land is state park, part is owned by The Nature Conservancy, and part is private land. The TNC site calls it's land Rumbling Bald Preserve and it says closed to the public, but I've seen pictures from rock climbers online, so I'm not sure the exact facts. My guess would be that TNC will eventually transfer the land for the state park. Click here for TNC's info.

Bat Cave Preserve - I hope to be able to join one of the organized hikes to Bat Cave Preserve this summer. This area isn't in the state park and I'm not sure if it will be, but it's worth knowing about. For more info, please click here for The Nature Conservancy's page.

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