Greater Grandfather Mountain Conservation Area
Photo: High South Creative
Land protection in the Greater Grandfather Mountain Conservation Area has long been a priority of Blue Ridge Conservancy.
Grandfather Mountain is globally significant and is a unit of the United Nations’ Southern Appalachian Man and Biosphere Reserve. It is home to 16 different natural communities, or assemblages of ecological settings, including geology, soils, climate, and natural disturbance processes, along with the plants and animals inhabiting them.
Photo: Lynn Townsend
The North Carolina Audubon Society has Grandfather identified as an Important Bird Area to monitor and protect significant bird populations. In the fall of every year the mountain is one of the locations used to count thousands of hawks and other raptors that migrate down the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Grandfather Mountain State Park was created in 2009 to preserve this iconic mountain for future generations. The state park is 2,500 acres and includes 12 miles of hiking trails and Calloway Peak, the highest point in the Blue Ridge. The Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation manages the attractions including the mile high swinging bridge.
In the News: Grandfather Mountain Conservation Projects
November 3, 2021, Watauga Democrat: Foscoe Wetland Trail opens to the public
January 15, 2020, Watauga Democrat: Blue Ridge Conservancy purchases Peak Mountain acreage
April 4, 2019, Mountain Times: Endangered Virginia big-eared bat habitat found, protected
October 4, 2018, Watauga Democrat: Blue Ridge Conservancy transfers 211 acres to Grandfather Mountain State Park
April 14, 2016, Watauga Democrat: Blue Ridge Conservancy buys 250 acres on Peak Mountain
June 12, 2013, Watauga Democrat: BRC adds 28 acres to Bear Paw State Natural Area