Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina got money for a new trail project in western McDowell County. The name of the project is the Wilderness Gateway State Trail.
The North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation awarded $6.6 million in grants for 17 land acquisition projects on state trails in nine counties. One of those grants is $1 million to the Foothills Conservancy for the McDowell County project, according to a news release from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Andrew Kota, executive director with the Foothills Conservancy, said Foothills Conservancy was awarded the $1 million grant to acquire land for the first phase of a large project that will protect Hickorynut Mountain and surrounding lands.
Tom Kenney, land protection director with the Foothills Conservancy, said the undeveloped land will be bought for the Wilderness Gateway State Trail in southwest McDowell.
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Foothills Conservancy plans to buy more than 8,000 acres in the Montford Cove community. It is a rugged, forested mountain area, Kenney said.
Andrew Kota, executive director of the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, during a recent visit to Hickorynut Mountain. Foothills Conservancy plans to use a $1 million grant toward the purchase of the land.
The land is now owned by video game developer and CEO Tim Sweeney of Epic Games, who lives in Raleigh but bought tracts of land in McDowell County for preservation, Kenney said. Kenney said Sweeney wants the land to be available for McDowell County people to use.
As part of a three-year effort, Foothills Conservancy plans to purchase the land and develop more than 10 miles of a trail that will start in southwest McDowell and head down to Chimney Rock State Park in Rutherford. It is an effort to extend the Wilderness Gateway State Trail to the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock State Park areas, according to Kenney. The Wilderness Gateway State Trail is planned to extend from Catawba County, through Burke County and McDowell County to Rutherford County.
“That is the goal, to connect with the state park,†Kenney said. Foothills Conservancy is working with the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation on this project.
The McDowell County land may be available for primitive camping.
Some private contributions may be used for the development of the trail as well.
“We have a lot of work to do,†Kenney said.
The funding for these grants comes from the Complete the Trails Program and will leverage more than $42.9 million in matching funds provided by local nonprofit state trail partners.
“Foothills Conservancy is very grateful for the trail grant funding programs provided by the General Assembly for North Carolina state parks,†Kenney said.
This photo shows the Hickorynut Mountain.
The Complete the Trails Program was created in 2021 through legislation that provided $29.25 million for official state trails in North Carolina. Additional funding of $5 million was added in 2023.
“Trails bring incredible benefits to rural communities, boosting tourism and economic development,†N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary D. Reid Wilson said in the release. “This generous funding made possible by the General Assembly and Governor Roy Cooper will help transform the state trails system in the Great Trails State.â€
There are 14 state trails authorized by state law, including seven land-based trails, four paddle trails, and three that are a combination of paddle and land-based trails. The planned mileage for the system is over 3,800 miles. Over 34 state parks, state natural areas, and state recreation areas host or are adjacent to state trail segments, according to the news release.
“State trails in North Carolina have grown tremendously over the last few years, and that growth would not be possible without generous funding from the state and the incredible work that our state trail partners have been doing on the ground,†State Parks Director Brian Strong said in the release.
