A brand new state park is developing all around us. The North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation has acquired more than 4,000 acres in Hickory Nut Gorge for Chimney Rock State Park.

The area you know as Chimney Rock Park is the focal point of the greater Chimney Rock State Park and is currently the only area open to the public. It will continue to be a fee area due to its high maintenance and capacity issues.

Greenways, Inc. has been selected to develop a Master Plan for the state park. The plan will serve as a road map for development of recreational amenities.

Greenways has a long history working with government agencies, non-profit organizations and for-profit corporations on a variety of multi-disciplinary environmental and landscape planning projects. The firm has worked on the Grand Canyon Greenway Plan, Mecklenburg County Greenway Master Plan, the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in NC and countless others.

The Master Planning process takes time. A public input session will be held for community stakeholders to share their ideas for Chimney Rock State Park. When this session is scheduled, we will post it here. The Skyline-Cliff Trail Loop will be addressed as part of this master planning phase. To share your comments with NC State Parks, click here.

For any questions regarding the Master Plan process, please contact the state's project manager at 919-715-0079.

Hickory Nut Gorge was chosen for a state park due to its natural resource significance and recreational potential. The Gorge is home to 36 rare plant species and 14 rare animal species, making it one of the most significant centers of biodiversity in the state. Read the fact sheet regarding the acquisition of Chimney Rock Park by the state of North Carolina.

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