NC to Buy Grandfather Mountain to Ensure It Stays Undeveloped

**cavscout** · 30th September 08, 06:00 AM

North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley signed a contract to purchase nearly 3000 acres of the undeveloped section of Grandfather Mountain for $12 million. Famed throughout the South for its spectacular rugged ridgeline and its "Mile High Swinging Bridge," the Morton family was unanimous in this agreement to forever place the mountain in protection from development.

The mountain has been in the Morton family for over 50 years. In what one official called a win-win for the Mortons and the state, the unique agreement calls for a 600-acre easement that will allow the family to manage a non-profit corporation to continue to operate the Nature Center, the Mile-High Swinging Bridge, and McRae Meadows, site of the Grandfather Mountain Highland games.

NC State Parks will manage the mountain wilderness as an undeveloped state park. The rugged trails will be patroled by NC Park Rangers and seasonal Rangers from Grandfather Mountain. The mountain that dominates this section of the Blue Ridge has two summits over 5,900 feet. The state's highest winds ever recorded occurred on Grandfather mountain, at over 180 mph before the anemometer broke. The mountain gets an average of 56 inches of snow.

In the 1970's, Hugh Morton (1921-2006) finally won his battle with the National Park Service to allow the final section of the Blue Ridge Parkway to be built across the southern slopes of Grandfather. But the terrain was extremely rugged, and the Park Service was dedicated to protecting the fragile alpine environment. The only acceptable means to complete the section was to build it as a "bridge," and so the world-famous Linn Cove Viaduct was built and completed in 1983 at a cost of $10 million.

The 13.5 mile Tanawha Trail was also built along this same section at a cost of $750,000, and includes stone treadway, stone steps, and wooden bridges that were lowered by helicopter.

The purchase for NC is the second in a year of a private park and tourist attraction. In 2007, the state purchased Chimney Rock Park.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/408/story/219105.html

**Spc. Scott** · 30th September 08, 06:05 AM

That is really good news. It's such a beautiful area and it's great to see that it will be kept as-is.

**auld argonian** · 30th September 08, 06:17 AM

Score one for the good guys! Excellent!

Best

AA

**McFarkus** · 30th September 08, 06:59 AM

That's great news. I'm sure Turpin and his kids will be thrilled - they love the place.

**Deil the Yin** · 30th September 08, 07:24 AM

It must be nice to have a State government that has in at least some nominal respect the interests of its citizens in mind... Go North Carolina!

**Highlander31** · 30th September 08, 08:03 AM

That's great that North Carolina is moving to protect a beautiful area like that. We have seen a lot of logging in some of the areas around here. It will be years before those areas regrow.