Chimney Rock State Park just got bigger. The Nature Conservancy recently transferred 536 acres to the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation, expanding the state park to 6,200 acres.
By connecting existing parcels of state park land, the acquisitions will provide a land base for future trail development and protect high-quality natural areas, conservationists say.
“When we started putting this park together, what we had were a handful of large tracts that were scattered thoughout the Hickory Nut Gap Gorge,” said Charlie Peek, public information officer for the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.
Since 2007, the state has been working with the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, the Nature Conservancy and other organizations and trusts to tie the tracts together.
“It’s critical to link up the properties that we already had,” Peek said. “Importance is not always measured by total acreage at this point for Chimney Rock State Park.” Buying the smaller properties like the 536 acres would remove the gaps, Peek said, and secure the park for natural resource management as well as trail and other recreation development projects.
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I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. I live in Western NC near the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are just out my door, so the content will focus on these areas, but let me know what you would like to see on the site. 
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Great news. So much potential in this area. Actually saw this in my NC Nature Conservancy Bulletin earlier.