Over 1,000 acres protected in Haywood County
The 1,060 acres of conserved and transferred land are located in three corners of Haywood County.
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The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy has transferred 1,060 acres in Haywood County to the State of North Carolina to become part of public lands managed by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.
These tracts include land for the Cold Mountain Game Land and Pisgah Game Lands, including the 409-acre White Oak Mountain tract adjoining the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that SAHC purchased in December 2024.
These transfers continue a long-standing partnership between SAHC and the NCWRC in conserving and managing land and opening outdoor recreation access to the public.
These 1,060 acres of conserved and transferred land are located in three corners of Haywood County — on the southwestern slopes of Mt. Pisgah, the northwestern edge of Cold Mountain, and in the northwest corner of the county on White Oak Mountain, bordering the GSMNP. Each of the transferred tracts is now managed by the NCWRC.
Near the Cruso community of Haywood County, SAHC purchased and transferred 409 acres on the slopes of Mt. Pisgah around Pisgah Creek to the state for the Pisgah Game Land, along with an adjoining 76-acre property that SAHC had acquired in 2020.
SAHC’s purchase of the Pisgah Creek tract was made possible by a grant from the NC Land and Water Fund, support from generous conservation donors, and a grant from the Pigeon River Fund of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.
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A little further west in Haywood County, SAHC transferred 167 acres at Dix Creek for the Cold Mountain Game Land. SAHC had acquired this tract in 2022, and the transfer is the latest in a series of projects in which SAHC has partnered with NCWRC to fill out the Cold Mountain Game Land. NCWRC recently completed a new gravel parking area on the property, and access through this tract is open to the public.
In the northwest corner of Haywood County, SAHC transferred the 408-acre White Oak Mountain property to the state to be managed by NCWRC. The property adjoins both the GSMNP and Pisgah National Forest, creating an important corridor for wildlife movement. Habitat here supports a wide range of species, including birds, deer, elk, bear, and more. SAHC purchased the property last year to protect wildlife habitat and prevent real estate development on the edge of the national park.
Grants from the NCLWF and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, along with generous support from conservation-minded donors, made the protection of the White Oak Mountain property possible.
