Catawba Falls is a cascade made up of the 100-foot lower and 70-foot upper falls on the Catawba River near Old Fort.
The Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, a regional land trust, announced today that it has sold an 88-acre tract of land to the U.S. Forest Service. The tract, located in McDowell County near Old Fort, includes a 1.5-mile trail to the spectacular series of falls.
The Forest Service paid $713,000 that Congress approved in December under legislation sponsored by U.S. Reps. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., and David Price, D-N.C. The money came from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which uses federal royalties from oil and gas leases.
The falls have been part of the Pisgah National Forest since 1989 but didn’t have a trail that was open to the public.
Legislation to expand the Pisgah’s boundaries to include the new purchase, cosponsored by Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Kay Hagan, D-N.C., is before the Senate. Similar legislation has already passed the House with bipartisan support.
Although landowners have allowed hikers to access Catawba Falls for decades, hikers have technically been trespassing on private land.
Jeff
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