Oct 12, 2017

By Otto Solberg

A new state natural area has been added in McDowell County, N.C. The 2,900 acres of mountain lands formerly known as Bob’s Pocket is now Bobs Creek State Natural Area.

Unlike a state park, a state natural area only allows low-impact recreation such as hiking, and will keep the rocky and forested lands free from development such as roads, logging, visitor centers or campgrounds. The new natural area will be managed by South Mountains State Park, state parks spokeswoman Katie Hall told the Citizen-Times.

“It fits into a large conservation landscape between the 45,000 acres of the South Mountains, including the state park and game lands, and the Blue Ridge Mountains and Chimney Rock Park area,” Foothills Conservancy Land Protection Director Tom Kenney told the Citizen-Times.

Conservationist Tim Sweeney, who also owns the neighboring 7,000-acre Box Creek Wilderness in Rutherford County, purchased Bob’s Pocket over the last few years. The Foothills Conservancy made negotiations with Sweeney to buy the property and assign it as a state natural area. Sweeney is selling it for less than he purchased it for, effectively donating 30 percent of the land’s value.

North of Bobs Creek State Natural Area, an additional 1,098 acres of land will be added to the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee and 586 acres to the Pond Mountain Game Lands in Ashe County, N.C. The land includes 4,325-foot Bald Knob with views of Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina and Mount Rogers in Virginia.