National Forests in North Carolina
160A Zillicoa Street
Asheville, North Carolina 28801
Designated Reach: August 18, 2000. From the headwaters below Calloway Peak to the confluence with Johns River.
Classification/Mileage: Wild -- 4.6 miles; Scenic -- 2.9 miles; Recreational -- 15.8 miles; Total -- 23.3 miles.
A two year partnership exemplifying bipartisan support between county governments, local communities, and the USDA Forest Service culminated in designation on August 18, 2000, of Wilson Creek to the National Wild and Scenic River System.
Jack Horan, Outdoors Editor for the Charlotte Observer, aptly describes Wilson Creek's special resources. "Kayakers and canoeists plunge through Boatbuster and Thunderhole Rapids. Anglers probe the greenish pools for brook, brown and rainbow trout. Sunbathers stretch out on massive boulders after a dip in the chilly waters. Wilson Creek long has been an easy-to-reach mountain oasis in the Pisgah National Forest. The free-flowing creek rises on the slopes of Grandfather Mountain in Avery County and, 20 miles later, makes a frantic dash through a 200-foot deep gorge before joining the Johns River in Caldwell County."