2023 HIGHLANDS NC EXPERIENCE GUIDE
Highlands’ six square miles hold the secrets and magic of millions of years. To help you appreciate and get to know our special part of the world, we compiled a list of Top 10 impressive nature-based facts. Magical Facts at the Height of Happiness
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to a thriving population of avi- fauna - about 47 species at the last Christmas Bird Count (a nation- wide event) in which the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society partici- pated. The endangered Peregrine Falcon was reintroduced to the area, and they are now nesting on the cliffs of iconic Whiteside Mountain. Salamanders are a specialty. In fact, biologists travel from all over the world to study our rich pool of these shy amphibians, thus the nickname, “Salamander Capital of the World.” Their presence indicates the purity of our air, water, and soil, so we’re delighted to live among them. 8 Don’t forget the otters. For a couple of years, small popula- tions of North American River Otters have made their home at Lake Ravenel, the Highlands Botanical Garden, and perhaps other sites. This is worth noting because they were missing from our region since the 1930s - victims of trapping for their fur. These frolicking creatures who love to fish, swim, and play are a joy to watch. We’re glad they’re back! 9 home to ancient rhododendron thickets. Our mountains also have wet meadows and bogs, home to rare plants such as Gray’s Lily, Cuthbert’s Turtlehead, and Swamp Pink. The fruit-bearing American Chestnut tree, once decimated by a fungal disease, and the Red Spruce, currently threatened but being re- vived, are also found here. “Ruby,” the almost-80-foot Christmas tree adorned at the U.S. Capitol in 2022, was a Red Spruce from North Carolina. Flora and forest. Highlands is surrounded by the Nantahala National Forest, 10
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How high is high? At 4,118 feet above sea level, Highlands is one of the highest towns east
Washington). This means, we enjoy four distinct seasons and get lots of rain - typically more than 120 inches each year. The rainfall contributes to our spectacular waterfalls and bio- logically rich flora and fauna. A tale of two seas. The rain that falls here either makes its way to the Gulf of Mexico (via the Cullasaja River) or to the Atlantic Ocean, depending on where it is lo- cated. That’s because the Highlands area straddles the Continental Divide. Look for signs that mark its path along U.S. Hwy. 28 and on U.S. Hwy. 107. 5 Based on a biblical tale. Located along the right side of Horse Cove Road, Moses Rock’s name hark- ens to the Old Testament story of the prominent figure who smote a rock and provided water for the traveling children of Israel. The local spring ap- peared in the late 19th century after a crew member working to transform the once-Cherokee trail into the road stuck his mattock against an outcrop of granite. The spring has comforted the thirsty for at least 150 years. We’re for the birds. Highlands is home 6
of the Mississippi River. Established in 1920, we are perched on the highest crest of the Western North Carolina plateau in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. This landscape is old. Really old. The Appalachian Mountains are some of the oldest in the entire world, the remnants of a geologi- cal sequence of events that began 480 million years ago during the formation of the supercontinent of Pangaea. A gem of a location - literally. Millions of years of volcanic ac- tivity and tectonic pressure result- ed in a jeweler’s dream of gold and gemstones, such as sapphire. Until the California Gold Rush of 1849, this part of N.C. was the largest gold- producing territory in the country. When it rains, it pours. Highlands is at the center of one of two temperate rainforests in the continental U.S. (The other is the rich woodlands of Oregon and 4 2 3
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