Native Animals

Western North Carolina is home to many different species of Appalachian animals. Here is a small list of the animals that reside in the area. Photo courtesy of Mark Haskett Animal Life Black Bear (ursus americanus) The Black Bear is found throughout the mountains of...
Native Plants

Native Plants

Western North Carolina is covered with plants indigenous to the Appalachian Mountains. Here is a short list of the plants found throughout the Linville Falls area. Photographs courtesy of Mark Haskett, Western Carolina University Photographic Services.  This...
Appalachian Geology

Appalachian Geology

      Appalachian Geology The geology of the Appalachian Mountain system is unique and complex, especially in the Blue Ridge Province. Unlike most regions of the earth where the youngest rock is the most visible, in the Blue Ridge, the younger rocks are...

Brown Mountain Lights

  Since the early 1700s, travelers have reported seeing the mysterious Brown Mountain Lights on clear, moonless nights. According to local folklore, the lights are actually the spirit of a slave searching for his lost master across ridges and through the valley....
Linville Falls

Linville Falls

The Linville Falls area is located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains at Parkway Milepost 316.4. The Linville is a wild and scenic river and the massive gorge it has created is home to a variety of plants and animals. These extensive lands, which for the most...
Hanging Dog

Hanging Dog

The Hanging Dog community in Cherokee County got its colorful name when a Cherokee Indian’s hunting dog barely escaped getting hung up in a mass of jammed logs and vines in a flooded creek. Nearby, European settlers found important deposits of iron. . .