Cheoah Ranger District

This district is made up of 120,00 acres in Graham and Swain counties that adjoin four large reservoirs----Lake Fontana, Lake Santeetlah, Lake Cheoah and Calderwood Lake --- and a network of 25 miles of hiking trails, including a 27 mile section of the Appalachian Trail.  The Cheoah Ranger Station, adjacent to Lake Santeetlah on S.R. 1116 and 2 miles north of Robbinsville,  is built on the site of a Civilian Conservation Corps campsite and contains an interpretive trail and a fine overlook of the lake.
Sitting to the southwest of the Great Smoky Mountains Natonal Park, this part of the Nantalhala Forest is often overlooked by visitors, but this slightly off-the-beaten-track district provides some incredibly beautiful places and views.  First of all, there is the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, which,  maintained in a primitive state, has one of the nation's most impressive remnants of old-growth forest.  The timber here was once owned by the Belton Lumber Company that started operations in the area in 1890, but went bankrupt.  Now the memorial forest is part of the 14,000-acre Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness Area and contains magnificent examples of more than 100 species of trees, including yellow poplar, hemlock, sycamore, basswood, dogwood, beech and several species of oaks.  Many of them are hundreds of years old, and some are more than 20 feet in circumference and more than 100 feet high.  The area was set aside in 1936 as a memorial to Joyce Kilmer the soldier/poet and author of the poem "Trees", who was killed in France in World War I.
 The Joyce Kilmer National Receation Trail is an easy 2-mile loop that takes you past these giant trees, many felled by age or lightning strikes.  In some areas, the tree canopy is so thick that sunlight never reaches the ground.  You will also find a picnic area here and an outstanding variety of vines, ferns, and early spring wildflowers and shrubs, such as mountain laurels,  rhododendrons and flame azaleas.  Wildlife is abundant in this undistubed forest.  The adjoining Slickrock Wilderness Area, with 13,100 acres in North Carolina, contains 60 miles of hiking trails that meander along streams and climb high ridges. It is the home of bears, bobcats, and wild boars and has a number of dispersed, primitive, no-fee campsites.
For more comfortable sites such as picnic tables, restrooms, and water taps, there are two area campgounds.  One is a group camp not far from the memorial forest.  Horse Cove Campground has 17 units and is by a rushing mountain steam called Little Santeetlah Creek. The Rattler Ford Group Camp has four units that will accommodate up to 50 people per unit.  It offers a trout stream, horseshoe pits, a volleyball court and an area suitable for softball.  Reservation for groups need to be made three weeks in advance. To get to the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, take US. 129 out of Robinsville to S.R. 1127 and follow the signs.  Both the Horse Cove and Rattler Ford campgrounds are off S.R. 1127.
 There are two forest recreation areas near Lake Fontana. The Tsali Recreation Area has 41 camping units with toilets and showers, a boat launching area and 18 miles of horse-back riding trails.  The Cable Cove Recreation Area also offers boating and hiking with boating access on Fontana Lake.  It is located 4 miles from Wotan Dam, the Appalachian Trail and the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  The area also has a mile-long nature loop trail that will help you identify the plants and trees growing along it.  There are historical features as well.  On Lake Santeeth, the Cheoah Point Recreation Area, has developed camping, picnicking,  fishing and boating facilities.  Nearby, the Wauchecha Bald Trail provides access to the AppalachianTrail.
Two great favorite wild palces in the Cheoah District are the Big Santeetlah Creek area and the 10,000 or so acres that encompass the headwaters of Big Snowbird Creek.  The latter was one of the last ares to be settled by whites in North Carolina, and it was here in 1836 that numbers of Cherokee Indians fled to escape exile to Oklahoma.Murphy North Carolina Your Mountain View Specialist Coldwell Banker High Country Realty               866-835-8500         866-835-8500 or               321-279-1049         321-279-1049 Jack Shingler.
   

The Wayah District (  Wayah means "wolf" in Cherokee) is centrally located in the Nantahala National Forest. It's 134,000 acres are adjacent to the Cherokee Indian Reservation in the north and extend all the way down to the Georgia border on the south.   Within these boundaries you will find the Nantahala River Gorge, with its opportunities for whitewater rafting and kayaking; two famous national trails, the Appalachian Trail and the Bartram Trail. which meet on Wayah Bald; the Standing Indian Basin and the Southern Nantahala Wilderness Area.
The 25,515 acre Southern Nantahala Wilderness Area, created in 1984, is managed by the Nantahala  National Forest (North Carolina) and by the Chattahoochee National Forest (Georgia). Elevations here range from 2,400 feet to 5,499 feet on Standing Indian Mountain with numerous peaks higher than 4,000 feet..  The terrain, cut by streams is steep and rugged.  The forest is dense but there are grass-heath balds along many of the high ridges.  All of the developed trails are rated "more difficult" to "most  difficult".  The Georgia portion of the wilderness has no developed trails.  However, old roadbeds, which have been closed to vehicles, are suitable for hiking.  Many of these roads connect to trails in North Carolina.
Standing Indian Basin is a horse-shoe shaped  drainage basin for the Nantahala and Blue Ridge Mountains and is rimmed by several peaks (Albert Mountain Big Blunt, Little Bald, Standing Indian Mountain) There is an abundance of wildlife and recreational opportunities here, particularly hiking.  The nicely landscaped Standing Indian Campground, which is open all year, has camping sites, picnic areas, water and sanitary facitities.  The Nantahala River, which flows right through the campground, offers fine trout fishing.  No reservations are required except at the adjoining Kimsey Group Camp. 
Hikers and backpackers will find a special parking area at the Backcountry Information Center on F.R. 67, less than a half-mile from the campground and the picnic area gate.  The Appalachian Trail curves around the south and east ridge of the basin with various trails ascending off of it.  Trail heads can also be found all along F.R. 67, including the John Wasilik Memorial Poplar Trail that takes you to the second-largest yellow poplar in the United States.
The Big Indian Loop is a good horseback riding trail-----also shared with hikers, hunters and fishermen.  It begins at a wildlife field off F.R. 67 about 4 miles beyond the Backcountry Information Station and meanders through rhododendron and birch thickets with views of Big Indian Creek. 
You may want to climb Standing Indian Mountain.  Take the Kimsey Creek Trail that begins at the Backcountry Information Station of F.R. 67, and follow the blue blazes to the road bridge in the campground.  After crossing the bridge, take the Park Creek Trail to the first blue-blazed trail leading to the left.  This is the Kemsey Creek Trail, a moderately difficult trail that follows Kemsey Creek upstream, crossing it several times.  Along the way, you will go through three wildlife fields where you can see deer, grouse etc.  When it ends at Deep Gap, you can turn left on the Appalachian Trail and continue a little more than 2 miles to Standing Indian Mountain, backtrack or return down hill on the rather strenuous Lower Ridge Trail.  You can also drive to Deep Gap on F.R. 71, thereby cutting the hiking distance to the summit to just more than 2 miles.
Among the other interesting hiking possibilities are trails to both Mooney Falls and Big Laurel Falls, which can also be reached from F.R. 67.  The 9-mile stretch of the Nantahala River that runs from Beechertown to Fontana Lake is nationally known as a world-class whitewater river.
Area businesses situated along US 19 offer a variety of services, including outfitting and guides, boat rentals, instuctional clinics, restaurants, and overnight accomodations.  Visitors can drive through the Coweeta Experimental Forest to see forest management practices in silverculture, hydrology, and engineering. The station office is open M-F 7:30 AM until 4 PM.  It is on U.S. highway 441, south of Murphy.  You may obtain a self-guiding brochure from the office.Murphy North Carolina Your Mountain View Specialist Coldwell Banker High Country Realty               866-835-8500         866-835-8500 or               321-279-1049         321-279-1049 Jack Shingler.

$59,900.00 74-B Lot #1 Murphy, NC 28906 Beds: 0 Rooms: 0 Baths: 0 Sq. Ft.: 0 Garage: 0 Built: 0   1.21 acres +/- has a two bedroom septic ,sharedwell, Long range views. This is a new listing that I thought you might be interested in. Visit this listing online to see more photos of the property, Google Earth satellite images, and much more.   If you have any questions about this property or require more information, please feel free to call. Jack Shingler ColdWell Banker High Country Realty 3212791049 www.MOUNTAINWINEANDHOMES.COM     Visit this listing at Here

$99,900.00 74-B Cloud-les Ln, Murphy, NC 28906 Beds: 0 Rooms: 0 Baths: 0 Sq. Ft.: 0 Garage: 0 Built: 0   This is a new listing that I thought you might be interested in. Visit this listing online to see more photos of the property, Google Earth satellite images, and much more.   If you have any questions about this property or require more information, please feel free to call. Jack Shingler ColdWell Banker High Country Realty 3212791049 www.MOUNTAINWINEANDHOMES.COM     Visit this listing at Here