COVID-19 information for parks under Modified Stay at Home Order
Posted on: Thursday, January 14, 2021 - 11:54am |
History
Hiking trails are open, please exercise caution on park roads and trails with the changing winter weather conditions.
The picnic shelters are not currently available for reservations.
The visitor center and restrooms are open, but the exhibit area, classroom, and auditorium remain closed. A properly worn mask or face covering, covering both the nose and the mouth, is required to enter the visitor center.
Chestnut Mountain Road will be Closed from January 16th - March 9th 2021 for Road Repairs.
Due to construction from the developed campground project, the one-way section of the park road is temporarily closed. This includes the roadside overlook.
All campsites are open. Raymond Fisher primitive tent campsites can be reserved online or campers can bring exact change ($15 per night per site) and register in-person at the trailhead. Other backcountry campsites are available for free on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please note that this alert is updated only when something changes. Generally, state parks are following the phased reopening statewide. As of October 3, we are following modified Phase 3.
If you have any questions, contact the park office at (828) 966-9099.
Last updated on: Wednesday, January 13, 2021
Contact the park
828-966-9099
gorges@ncparks.gov
Addresses
Visitor center
976 Grassy Ridge Road
Sapphire, NC 28774
GPS: 35.0960, -82.9510
Frozen Creek access
Frozen Creek Road
Brevard, NC 28712
GPS: 35.1086, -82.8837
Hours
►
- 7:00am to 9:00pm
- Closed Christmas Day
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- 8:00am to 6:30pm
- Closed Christmas Day
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- Open daily:
9:00am to 5:00pm
- Closed Christmas Day
History highlights
Although you might feel removed from civilization while walking deep into the Gorges wilderness, evidence of past human interference with the environment surrounds you.
One of the most damaging interferences to the Gorges environment occurred in 1916 when the dam containing Lake Toxaway - the largest private lake in the state - broke. Record amounts of water gushed southward down the river, destroying the communities in its path, scouring the gorges and leaving piles of debris 15 to 20 feet high. These debris piles still remain.
After the flood, local citizens eventually sold large land tracts in the Gorges to Singer Sewing Machine Company, which logged most of the land. Then, in the 1940s and 1950s, Singer sold the land to Duke Energy Corporation. The corporation purchased the land for its steep topography and high rainfall, which offered opportunities for development of hydropower projects. Crescent Land and Timber Corporation, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, managed the land, closing some roads and limiting human access to protect the environment.
Conservation studies began in the area in the late 1970s, and in 1982 nearly 275 acres of land that is currently in the park was placed on the NC Registry of Natural Heritage Areas because of the numerous rare species. In the late 1990s, Duke Energy determined that it no longer needed large portions of the Gorges for future hydropower and offered the land for sale to natural resources agencies in North and South Carolina. The NC Division of Parks and Recreation stepped up to create, with the support of local citizens and the General Assembly, a very exciting state park.
Park Maps and Brochures:
