Mountain Biking Wnc
Western North Carolina Where the Biggest House In America Meets The Great Outdoors
Western North Carolina (WNC) is the mountainous part of the state, made up of the 23 counties that fall within the Appalachian region. A part of that area, around Asheville, has come to be known as the Land-of-Sky, with the governing body using the name Land-of-Sky Regional Council. The area to the North West is known as the High Country and, as if to emphasize its descriptive name, around the Boone area are a number of ski resorts, such as those on Beech Mountain.
Any trip to this region needs to take in Asheville, a beautiful city with a strong arts and crafts feel to it. The city has a heavy Art Deco influence and has been named in many polls as a favorite place to visit. In fact, Asheville is a good place to use as a base for visiting the many tourist attractions set in these exquisite surroundings, attractions such as the Cherokee Bear Zoo at the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Black Bear is native to the Great Smoky Mountains but it keeps to itself in its natural habitat, so you won’t see many in the wild. However, this zoo, where you can feed them and see how they play, has to be the next best thing.
While you’re close to Cherokee, be sure to visit the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, where you’ll follow the history of life in the Great Smoky Mountains, from the Native Americans and the settlements of the early Europeans, through National Park establishment. Take a look at Mingus Mill, with the huge handmade millstones. After the National Park was set up, a Civilian Conservation Corps moved into a camp at Smokemont, to establish and maintain park trails and roads. This group restored the mill on Mingus Creek and created the Mountain Farm Museum with log buildings from the local area.
Western North Carolina has four national forests, the largest being the Nantahala National Forest, which was established in 1920. The Nantahala River, famed as one of the best trout fishing streams around, runs through the forest in a deep gorge that only sees the sun when it’s high in the sky. This is how the river gets its name. The word “Nantahala” is a Cherokee word meaning “Land of the mid-day sun.” The river has an eight mile stretch used by whitewater rafters and sections are popular with kayakers and canoeists.
The Nantahala Outdoor Center, based near Bryson City, organizes whitewater rafting trips on this and six other rivers in the region. The Center also runs a training school for kayak and canoe paddlers, as well as renting out mountain bikes. With restaurants and outdoor activity stores, they also arrange hiking and fly fishing trips.
For all the outdoor attractions in Western North Carolina, it is the area around Asheville that tourists flock to. The arts and crafts festivals hosted here and the gastronomic delights available from the many restaurants in and around the city make it the tourist center par excellence. Perhaps the biggest attraction, in more ways than one, is the 250 room Biltmore House to the south of Asheville. Well known as the biggest house in America, built by George Vanderbilt II, this is the number one destination, not to be missed on your trip to the region.
About the Author
John Winchester writes about Asheville windows, sunrooms, awnings and other supplies for home and business in the Western North Carolina area.
Pisgah – Avery Creek Trail
