LEAFY OASES
The national forests of North Carolina abound with recreational opportunities By Randy Mink
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t a time when people are looking for fresh air and elbow room, North Carolina’s national forests extend the options beyond well-traveled national parks and seashores. Though lacking a marketing push that would propel them onto bucket lists, these vast public lands reward travelers with endless opportunities for quiet walks in the woods, rollicking raft rides on whitewater rivers, and even panning for gold. Pisgah, Nantahala, Uwharrie and Croatan national forests all beckon the adventurer eager to commune with Mother Nature. Here are brief looks at what each wilderness empire offers:
PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST
Photo courtesy of Visit North Carolina
With two tracts of land in the mountains of western North Carolina, Pisgah National Forest is easily accessible from Asheville, Blowing Rock, Linville Falls, Grandfather Mountain and other tourist hotspots along the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of America’s great scenic byways. It’s a kingdom of milehigh peaks, heavily forested slopes, cascading waterfalls, rivers for rafting and hundreds of miles of hiking trails, including part of the Appalachian Trail. Mountain biking is a Pisgah specialty, and several outfitters offer rentals and guided rides.
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U.S. Highway 276, which runs for 37 miles between Brevard and Waynesville, is part of Forest Heritage National Scenic Byway and leads to various attractions, both natural and manmade. The Cradle of Forestry in America Historic Site, 14 miles north of Brevard, showcases original log buildings on the rustic campus of Biltmore Forestry School, the nation’s first such school, which was started in 1898 by Carl Schenk on land owned by tycoon George W. Vanderbilt. At the Forest Discovery Center, visitors can see a movie about the school and birth of science-based forest management, enjoy hands-on exhibits, ride a firefighter helicopter simulator and go “underground” to see which animals live under the forest floor. The Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education and Bobby N. Setzer State Fish Hatchery, also north of Brevard via U.S. 276, produces brook, rainbow and brown trout for release in some 60 local streams. Visitors strolling along the 50 large tanks, called raceways, can observe and feed the fish. Other features include a film on wildlife conservation, wildlife exhibits and aquariums with fish, amphibians and reptiles. Looking Glass Falls is one of the most popular waterfalls in North Carolina. A walkway from the parking lot leads down to the falls, whose name comes from Looking Glass
Sunset Camping at Badin Lake, Uwharrie National Forest
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