Pisgah National Forest

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Pisgah National Forest is a National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina and was the first National Forest established in the United States. It is administered by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. The forest gets its name from Mount Pisgah, the highest mountain in the forest. Cold Mountain, made famous by the novel and 2003 major motion picture of the same name is also located within the forest in the Shining Rock Wilderness.
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Recreation Outfitters



Pisgah National Forest features some of the most beautiful and rugged mountain scenery, and the best recreational opportunities in Eastern North America.

The Pisgah National Forest is a large forest that covers much of the north and central western mountains of NC. It is broken up into 4 Ranger Districts.

The Pisgah Ranger District is dominated by Mt. Pisgah on the Blue Ridge Parkway and extends on both sides of the Parkway. It is located roughly between the towns of Brevard, Waynesville and Asheville, NC. This area is especially noted for easy access to many beautiful waterfalls, wonderful hiking and camping opportunities, the Cradle of Forestry, and more. The district also includes the Shining Rock and Middle Prong Wilderness areas.

The Appalachian/French Broad Ranger District lies along the North Carolina / Tennessee border, northeast of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Among the highlights of this region are the Harmon Den area - a mecca for horseback riders, Max Patch mountain - offering stunning panoramic views, the French Broad River and the Appalachian Trail.

The Grandfather Ranger District lies southeast of the Blue Ridge Parkway from north of Asheville to Blowing Rock, NC. Linville Gorge is the predominant feature of the area with very rugged terrain to challenge even experienced hikers. There are also easier trails. Other significant features include the Wilson Creek area, which is highly favored among kayakers and the Brown Mountain Off-Road Vehicle area.

The Appalachian/Toecane Ranger District lies northwest of the Blue Ridge Parkway from north of Asheville to Blowing Rock and to the Tennessee state line. This area contains some of the most beautiful mountain scenery in the east including important wildflower habitats at Craggy Gardens and Roan Mountain. Also included in this district are Mt. Mitchell - highest point in eastern America and Grandfather Mountain - an international biosphere preserve, although neither of these are actually National Forest property. The peak of Mt. Mitchell is a North Carolina State Park. Grandfather Mountain is privately owned, but open to the public with an admission charge.
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American Bear

"The Pisgah District of the Pisgah National Forest in Western North Carolina is a 157,000-square-mile chunk of land on either side of the Blue Ridge Parkway just west of Asheville, North Carolina. This is a very unique place, with hundreds of miles of designated bike trails that are well marked and well maintained, mountains that rise to over 6,000 feet, waterfalls springing from most every stream, enormous rock outcroppings erupting from the dense forest- all this and more in an undeveloped, wild area that is easy to get to. You can find trails that will have you swooshing through dark, green tunnels of mountain laurel and rhododendron, and others where you'll splash through streams and wade whitewater rivers. You can ride to the ridge tops and around sheer rock faces and then zoom back down again after seeing some stunning views. You'll find backcountry camping, public campgrounds, picnic areas, trailhead parking lots, bike shops and lodging nearby, and good roads to take your from one ride to the next.

Mountain bikers are now discovering what other recreationists learned decades ago: Pisgah is a great place to be any time of the year. In summer, the mountains are cool, green and lush. Afternoon thunderstorms are not uncommon. At this time of year you can expect to see fishermen wielding fly rods and people floating in inner tubes in the streams. You might see youth groups or families hiking and camping in the backcountry. Some trails are designated for horse use as well, and you might encounter equestrians, especially in the South Mills and Avery Creek areas.

Fall is known as leaf season, and it attracts a different crowd. Look for slow driving cars on the forest roads as passengers crane their necks to see splashes of red, yellow, and orange on the trees. Fall and early winter are also hunting season. You'll want to take caution and wear bright colored clothing, such as blaze orange, at this time of year.

As you ride in Pisgah, you may wonder how the trails stay in such good condition. Many thanks go to the Asheville area Blue Ridge Bike Club and the Pisgah District's rangers and staff. These folks have done everything right to ensure that trails remain open to mountain bike use."

The exerpt above was taken from Off The Beaten Track Volume II A Guide to Mountain Biking In Western North Carolina by: Jim Parham
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As "Home of the White Squirrel," Brevard, North Carolina, also appreciates their white squirrels, although they have dark eyes and are not albino. There has also been some interbreeding between the white and grays [According to tipster Dan Hay, "causing some to have gray caps and sometimes gray strip down back."].

Brevard College's "White Squirrel Research Institute" has charted the geographic distribution of pale critters in their region. Brevard's white squirrels are legally "protected." The town holds a White Squirrel Festival around Memorial Day Weekend.

Mount Pisgah is a mountain in the Appalachian Mountain Range and part of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The mountain's height is 5,721 feet (1,744 metres) and it sits approximately 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Asheville at the crossing of the boundaries of Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson and Transylvania counties. The mountain is easily accessible via the Blue Ridge Parkway.

History

Before the European Settlers entered this part of North Carolina, these mountains and valleys were the exclusive domain of Cherokee Indians. The Cherokees had their own names for Mount Pisgah and the Pisgah Ridge. The mountain was Elseetoss and the ridge was Warwasseeta, and around them the land was rich in game and lush with trees and other plant life.

The name Pisgah comes from the Bible, in the fourth chapter of Deuteronomy, The Lord ordered Moses to the top of this mountain and told him to look in all directions, thus revealing the Promised Land to the tribes of Israel. There are at least two stories as to how this Biblical mountain's name came to be applied to this sylvan eminence in Western North Carolina. They follow below. Pick the one you like.

* In 1776, General Griffith Rutherford led an expedition against the Cherokees. Accompanying this expedition as a chaplain was one James Hall. The men of the expedition saw the mountain from the French Broad River valley and saw a rich land around it -- a land of milk and honey, a promised land. James Hall, preacher and soldier, is credited with drawing the parallel with the land that Moses saw from Pisgah and applying the Biblical appellation to this mountain.

* George Newton was a Presbyterian minister who lived and taught in the late 18th and early 19th centuries at what became Newton Academy in Asheville. Reverend Newton is credited with naming Mt. Pisgah. Because of the extensive view in all directions over a rich land, Reverend Newton felt there was similarity between this mountain and the one on which Moses stood.

The first recorded appearance of the name Mt. Pisgah in North Carolina was in 1808. In this year, part of Buncombe County was split off when Haywood County was created, and part of the new county line was along the "ridge dividing the waters of Pigeon and the French Broad River, to the top of Mount Pisgah."

Thomas Lanier Clingman was a state legislator, United States Congressman, United States Senator, Confederate General, and somewhat given to controversy. He left his mark the history of Western North Carolina through his famous argument with Dr. Elisha Mitchell (for whom Mt. Mitchell was named) and his mark on the land. Clingman's Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is named for him. He has been described as "an intrepid man of most arrogant and aggressive character, greatest self-confidence, unlimited assurance, prodigious conceit, stupendous aspiration, immense claims, more than common ability, no considerable attainment or culture, great boastfulness, and much curiosity." Mr. Clingman owned 300 acres (1.2 km²) on and around the top of Mt. Pisgah. He owned this land from the 1830's until shortly before his death in 1897, when he sold this land to George W. Vanderbilt.

George Washington Vanderbilt was the grandson of the "commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt. Mr. Vanderbilt began buying land south of Asheville in 1888, and by the time he finished, he owned about 125,000 acres (506 km²), including Mt. Pisgah. Near Asheville, he built his famous Biltmore House, the grounds of which Frederick Law Olmsted landscaped.

Two other famous names are associated with Vanderbilt and Biltmore Estate. In 1891, Gifford Pinchot, recently returned from studying forestry in Europe, became Chief Forester of Biltmore. Here, with Mr. Vanderbilt's strong support, he introduced scientific forestry to the United States. In 1898, Pinchot was named head of the Forestry Division of the Department of Agriculture.

Dr. Carl A Schenck of the University of Darmstadt came to the United States to succeed Pinchot. When Dr. Schenck came to this country, there were fewer than half dozen trained foresters, and all had studied forestry in Europe. There was no place in the United States to study forestry.

With George W. Vanderbilt's support, Dr. Schenck founded the Biltmore Forestry School in 1898. Classes first met in the village of Biltmore, upstairs in what is now the headquarters of the Biltmore Company. This building is a Registered National Historic Landmark. The field school for the Biltmore Forestry School was near the foot of Mt. Pisgah. The United States Forest Service has done an excellent reconstruction of this school at the Cradle of Forestry in America.

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Looking Glass Outfitters

Looking Glass Rock offers routes on premier North Carolina granite domes, slabs, and walls on its miles of climbable faces. There are routes here to challenge everyone from beginner to expert with several faces over 500 feet high. While some cracks found here are reminiscent of Yosemite, the characteristic feature of Looking Glass rock is the "eyebrow (link - FAQ)". These inverted crescents in the rock are generally rounded on top, undercut by a crevice that may provide hand/foot holds or a solid gear placement. They are just as likely to be pretty much useless. Many climbs have a moderate to high degree of slab climbing in them. The 3 mile long rock is more or less teardrop shaped, with climbing on the North, South, and Western exposures.
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