Chimney Rock State Park is a
North Carolina state park in
Chimney Rock,
Rutherford County,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The
park is located southeast of
Asheville
Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...
, North Carolina, and is owned and managed by the state of North Carolina.
The park features hiking trails for all skill levels, views of the Devil's Head
balancing rock
A balancing rock, also called a balanced rock or precarious boulder, is a naturally occurring geological formation featuring a large rock or boulder, sometimes of substantial size, resting on other rocks, bedrock, or on glacial till. Some formati ...
, and a
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...
,
Hickory Nut Falls. Its most notable feature is a
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
monolith
A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive rock (geology), stone or rock, such as some mountains. For instance, Savandurga, Savandurga mountain is a monolith mountain in India. Erosion usually exposes the geological for ...
named Chimney Rock, which is accessible by elevator and provides views of the park and surrounding countryside.
Early park development
In May 2005, the North Carolina General Assembly authorized the creation of the "Hickory Nut Gorge State Park." In August 2005 the
Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy and
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US.
Founded in 1951, The Natu ...
purchased a tract of land south of
Lake Lure
Lake Lure is a town in Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. In 2020 the town population was 1,634. Lake Lure was incorporated in 1927, and acquired the lake after which it is named in 1965.
History
In 1902, Dr. Lucius B. Morse and ...
known as "World's Edge" for $16 million with the intention of transferring the land as the first to be added to the new state park. World's Edge contains a mile-long set of steep slopes on the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Escarpment (an
escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations.
The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''escar ...
of the
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsylvania through Maryland, West Virgin ...
), with more than of streams and waterfalls. From an overlook point, the land falls away to provide views of the
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
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. The area provides
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
for rare
flowers
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
,
diverse forest communities,
endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...
bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...
s and
salamanders
Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten ...
,
unique cave-dwelling
A cave dweller, or troglodyte, is a human being who inhabits a cave or the area beneath the overhanging rocks of a cliff.
Prehistory
Some prehistoric humans were cave dwellers, but most were not (''see'' ''Homo'' and Human evolution). Suc ...
invertebrates
Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...
, and
birds
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
such as
peregrine falcons
The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, ...
and
migratory neotropical
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
Definition
In bioge ...
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
. Transfer of the World's Edge tract to state ownership was completed in 2006.
State acquisition of Chimney Rock Park
In 1902, Dr. Lucius B. Morse purchased at Chimney Rock Mountain, including the Chimney and cliffs. Morse and his family owned and operated "Chimney Rock Park" as a privately managed park from 1902 to 2007. Many small tracts purchased over the years expanded the park to . In 2006 the land was put up for sale.
Many feared the park might fall into the hands of private developers, but the state and the Morse family completed a purchase agreement in early 2007.
In July 2007, the General Assembly renamed Hickory Nut Gorge State Park to Chimney Rock State Park.
Nearby state parks
The following state parks and state forests are within of Chimney Rock State Park:
:
Caesars Head State Park
Caesars Head State Park is a park in northern Greenville County, South Carolina, that borders Transylvania County, North Carolina, and is reached via US 276. The eponymous rock formation, one of the highest points in Greenville County, is a grani ...
,
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
:
DuPont State Forest
DuPont State Recreational Forest, commonly known as DuPont Forest, is a state forest, located in Henderson and Transylvania counties of North Carolina. The name originates from the fact that the DuPont company arranged the sale of the original ...
:
Holmes Educational State Forest
Holmes Educational State Forest (HESF) is a state forest, located in Henderson County, North Carolina. It is near the much larger DuPont State Recreational Forest, which is responsible for its management. The forest is in the Blue Ridge Mountain ...
:
Jones Gap State Park
Jones Gap State Park is a South Carolina state park in northern Greenville County, near Marietta. The park, which includes the headwaters of the Middle Saluda River, is, with Caesars Head State Park, administered by the state Department of Par ...
, South Carolina
:
Lake James State Park
Lake James State Park is a North Carolina state park in Burke and McDowell Counties, North Carolina in the United States. Located near Nebo, North Carolina, it covers and borders Lake James.
History
Started in 1987, Lake James State Park had ...
:
Mount Mitchell State Park
Mount Mitchell State Park is a North Carolina state park in Yancey County, North Carolina in the United States. Established in 1915 by the state legislature, it became the first state park of North Carolina. By doing so, it also established the ...
:
Pisgah View State Park
Pisgah View State Park is a developing North Carolina state park in Buncombe and Haywood Counties, North Carolina, in the United States. The center piece of the park is the approximately Pisgah View Ranch, which has rental cabins, equestrian ...
:
South Mountains State Park
South Mountains State Park is a North Carolina state park in Burke County, North Carolina in the United States. Located near Connellys Springs, North Carolina, it covers and includes part of the South Mountains, a branch of the Blue Ridge Mou ...
See also
*
Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail
References
External links
*
Chimney Rock AttractionChimney Rock State Park Master Planestablished Hickory Nut Gorge State Park, which later was renamed Chimney Rock State Park.
changed the name of Hickory Nut Gorge State Park to Chimney Rock State Park.
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Landmarks in North Carolina
Protected areas of Rutherford County, North Carolina
State parks of North Carolina
State parks of the Appalachians
Protected areas established in 2005