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Location: Missing locator and old growth info on this area
USGS Topographic Maps: Waynesville, Sam Knob, Cruso, Shining Rock
The Shining Rock Wilderness lies north of the Blue Ridge Parkway and east across NC 215 from the Middle Prong Wilderness. Logical extensions of protection to the south toward the Parkway are Graveyard Ridge, the Dark Prong drainage and Sam's Knob area, not currently in the Wilderness because of proximity to the Parkway and because of Forest Road 816 which runs from the Parkway up to the Black Balsam Parking/camping area near Sam's Knob.
Also, Graveyard Fields and Tennant Mountain are managed by periodic burning to maintain them as laurel/blueberry balds, which are not only very beautiful, but provide hawk habitat and extremely popular blueberry picking in the fall.
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Approximate size:
4,863 acres
Roadless acreage:
4,556 acres (2,583-Sam Knob; 1,973-Graveyard Ridge) |
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However it is hard to understand why Dark Prong was not included in the original Wilderness. It is a spectacular stream, falling in numerous good-sized bare rock cascades until it joins the East Fork of the Pigeon River. Shining Rock is badly overused, emphasizing the fact that there is considerable public demand for wilderness recreation. |
