DuPont State Recreational Forest, commonly known as DuPont Forest, is a
, located in
Henderson and
Transylvania
Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
counties of
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
. The name originates from the fact that the
DuPont
Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to:
People
* Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...
company arranged the sale of the original tract to the state.
Adjacent tracts have since been purchased and added to the state forest. Portions of the forest formerly contained a manufacturing facility for the production of X-ray film.
The forest was used to shoot scenes from the 1992 film ''
The Last of the Mohicans'' as well as the 2012 box office hit ''
The Hunger Games
''The Hunger Games'' are a series of Young adult fiction, young adult Dystopian fiction, dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The series consists of a trilogy that follows teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and two ...
''. On February 12, 2019, the forest added from
Conserving Carolina, part of a section called the
Continental Divide Tract that connects with other public lands. was added to the forest in 2019.
History
Before 1996, the area that is DuPont state forest today, known as Buck Forest, was owned by
Dupont
Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to:
People
* Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...
, who ran a plant on the property, until it was sold to Sterling Diagnostic Imaging. The remainder of the land was sold to the state of North Carolina, which created DuPont State Forest. However, the original state forest was much smaller than it is today. Later, in 2000, were added to the forest.
In 1999, Sterling held a private bid for out of the the company had acquired. The state and several conservation groups tried to obtain it, but were unsuccessful.
The property was eventually acquired by a developer named Jim Anthony. When the property was sold, Sterling prohibited the land from being used for private development. Anthony stated that he was not planning to develop the property, even though it was obvious based on the improvements he was making to the property. The conservation groups also learned around this time that the restrictions were unenforceable, and that the Landowner could do whatever they wanted with the land.
Despite the efforts of the conservation groups, Anthony continued to develop the property, and eventually divided it into lots. Following this, on October 23, 2000, Governor
Jim Hunt and the
North Carolina Council of State voted to
condemn the property. The state paid Anthony $24 million
USD for the property, then it was absorbed into DuPont State Forest.
In 2019,
Conserving Carolina gave the forest several hundred acres of land in the continental divide tract.
Recreation
Nearly of multi-use trails and roads thread through the forest.
The forest is widely used for many recreational activities, including
mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, swimming (where permitted), wading, and kayaking. Destinations include mountaintop views (such as from the summit of Stone Mountain, and Cedar Rock), lakes (such as Lake Imaging, Lake Julia, Lake Dense, and Fawn Lake), and waterfalls, including:
*
Bridal Veil Falls
* Grassy Creek Falls
*
High Falls
*
Hooker Falls
*
Triple Falls
* Wintergreen Falls
Popular mountain biking trails include Ridgeline, Big Rock, Cedar Rock, and Airstrip trails. The Airstrip trail starts from near a small unused (or emergency use) airplane landing area. The Ridgeline trail is particularly noted for its long continuous, winding and uninterrupted run, with a mild downhill grade.
[Trail Guide, DuPont State Forest Recreational Forest, 3rd edition. Pisgah Map Company, 2015. .] at intersection of Cedar Rock and Big Rock trails
Nearby state parks
The following state parks and state forests are within of DuPont State Recreational Forest:
*
Caesars Head State Park (
South Carolina
South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
)
*
Chimney Rock State Park (North Carolina)
*
Devils Fork State Park (South Carolina)
*
Gorges State Park (North Carolina)
*
Headwaters State Forest (North Carolina)
*
Holmes Educational State Forest (North Carolina)
*
Horsepasture State Natural River (North Carolina)
*
Jones Gap State Park (South Carolina)
*
Keowee-Toxaway State Park (South Carolina)
*
Paris Mountain State Park (South Carolina)
*
Pisgah View State Park (North Carolina)
*
Poe Creek State Forest (South Carolina)
*
Table Rock State Park (South Carolina)
See also
*
Pisgah National Forest
Pisgah National Forest is a United States National Forest, National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. It is administered by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. The P ...
(also popular in western North Carolina for hiking and mountain biking)
*
Holmes Educational State Forest (Managed by DuPont State Recreational Forest
)
References
External links
*
Friends of DuPont Forest website
{{Authority control
North Carolina state forests
State forests of the Appalachians
Protected areas of Henderson County, North Carolina
Protected areas of Transylvania County, North Carolina
Mountain biking in the United States
Protected areas established in 1997
1997 establishments in North Carolina