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Location: Macon County, NC, 5 miles southwest of Highlands, Highlands Ranger District, Nantahala National Forest
USGS Topographic Maps: Highlands, Scaly Mountain, Rabun Bald, Satolah
Overflow Creek, a congressionally designated Wilderness Study Area, is one of the three chief tributaries that join to make the East Fork of the Chattooga River, a National Wild and Scenic River. This area provides important watershed protection to the downstream Chattooga. The Overflow valley lies immediately below the intensely developed Highlands, NC, area.
There is much local interest in giving this area permanent protection from development and from irresponsible forest management. There are numerous communities of old growth timber in this area, especially in the isolated coves.
The Bartram Trail crosses from south to north along the western side of the area.
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Approximate size:
6,008 acres
Roadless Acreage:
3,509 acres
Old growth acreage:
315 acres |
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Forest Communities
Hemlock Forest, Submesic Oak, Dry Oak, and Subxeric Oak.
Unusual Plants
* A bog community may be present within this delineated area (TWS meeting 12/15/00)
* The Glen Falls area is listed as a Spray Cliff Community on the East Fork of Overflow Creek (Castanea of September 1998)
* Steep Slope areas associated with Overflow Creek Gorge in Georgia may support uncommon or rare plant species. Jess Riddle, of Georgia, measured a white pine tree in this gorge that was 168 feet tall. Cullasaja Gorge and Linville Gorge are the only other areas with laser-measured white pines of this height on national forest land in the Blue Ridge Province. |
