The Northern Peaks State Trail is a unit of the North Carolina state park system in Ashe and

Watauga Watauga can refer to: ;Places *Watauga, Kentucky * Watauga County, North Carolina * Watauga, South Dakota * Watauga, Tennessee * Watauga, Texas ;Bodies of Water * Watauga Lake in Tennessee * The Watauga River in North Carolina and Tennessee ;Shi ...

Counties,

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 ...

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 territori ...

. The State Trail is planned as a

hiking trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...

connecting Downtown Boone, Howard Knob County Park,

Elk Knob State Park Elk Knob State Park is a North Carolina state park in Watauga County, North Carolina, in the United States. Opened in 2003, it is one of North Carolina's newest state parks. Elk Knob State Park was established to preserve the natural state of El ...

, Three Top Mountain Gameland, Downtown West Jefferson and

Mount Jefferson State Natural Area Mount Jefferson State Natural Area is a North Carolina state park in Ashe County, North Carolina in the United States. Located near Jefferson, North Carolina, it includes the peak of Mount Jefferson, named for Thomas Jefferson and his father P ...

. The trail is a collaboration between local governments and the state, with development coordinated by the

North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation The State of North Carolina has a group of protected areas known as the North Carolina State Park System, which is managed by the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation (NCDPR), an agency of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cu ...

(NCDPR).

History

In 2008, NCDPR along with the High Country Council of Governments developed a regional trail plan for North Carolina's High Country. A potential trail route along the Northwestern Peaks of the state was identified in the plan. In 2011, the Watauga County Tourism Development Authority published the ''Boone Area Outdoor Recreation Plan'', which included a proposal for a Northern Peaks Trail. In 2017, NCDPR, the Watauga County Tourism Development Authority, Ashe County, the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce, the West Jefferson Tourism Development Authority, the Town of Boone, and High Country Pathways, Inc jointly commissioned a master plan for the Northern Peaks Trail. The master plan concluded the trail was eligible for state trail status and proposed its designation as part of the State Trail System. On July 1, 2019, the North Carolina General Assembly formalized the proposal by establishing Northern Peaks State Trail, and directed NCDPR to coordinate its development.

Controversy

The plan for the Northern Peaks Trail has alarmed conservationists due to the presence of rare plants in high elevation zones of the peaks. The unique qualities of the soils of the Amphibolite Mountains and the secluded nature of the peaks has resulted in

endemic species Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

which cannot be found anywhere else. The current plan for the trail routes users through sensitive habitat, and does not include any proactive measures for resource protection. There is concern that the desire to promote outdoor recreation in the area will put delicate rock-dwelling plants at risk of being unintentionally trampled by users, potentially extirpating the species.

References

External links

*
Northern Peaks Trail

The Northern Peaks Trail Master Plan

High Country Regional Trails Plan
State parks of North Carolina Protected areas of Ashe County, North Carolina Protected areas of Watauga County, North Carolina Protected areas established in 2019 Hiking trails in North Carolina 2019 establishments in North Carolina {{NorthCarolina-protected-area-stub