Uwharrie National Forest

Uwharrie National Forest
Uwharrie National Forest
	Fishing pier at Kings Mountain Point Day Use Area
Location	North Carolina, United States
Nearest city	Albemarle, NC
Coordinates	35°21′59″N 79°57′51″W / 35.3663062°N 79.964034°W
Area	50,645 acres (204.95 km2)
Established	January 12, 1961
Governing body	U.S. Forest Service
	Uwharrie National Forest

Uwharrie National Forest (locally /juːˈwɑːri/ yoo-WAH-ree)^[3] is a federally designated national forest region located primarily in Montgomery County, but also extending into Randolph and Davidson counties in south central North Carolina. It is the smallest of the four National Forests in North Carolina, with a total area of 50,645 acres (204.95 km²). About 79% of its acreage is in Montgomery County. The forest is managed together with the other three North Carolina National Forests (Croatan, Nantahala, and Pisgah) from common headquarters in Asheville, North Carolina. However, it does have a local ranger district office in Troy, North Carolina. There is one officially designated wilderness area within the forest—the 5,025-acre (20.34 km²) Birkhead Mountains Wilderness.

The forest derives its name from the Uwharrie Mountains, the ancient mountains atop which most of the forest sits. The western border of the forest is made by the Yadkin River / Pee Dee River while the northern border follows the northernmost range of the Uwharries near Asheboro. To the east, the forest is bordered by the Montgomery County seat of Troy.

The Forest lies within the Southeastern mixed forests ecoregion and supports mixed forests of pine and oak.^[4]

Land was first purchased by the Federal government in 1931, and the area was known as the Uwharrie Reservation. The Uwharrie Forest was given federal designation in the early 1960s by President John F. Kennedy, along with the Nantahala, Pisgah, and Croatan National Forests.

The forest is bisected by several state and interstate highways. Both Interstate 73 and Interstate 74 run along the eastern boundary of the forest on the Moore County line from north to south. NC 73 runs from west to east from the Yadkin River to Mount Gilead. U.S. Highway 220 runs parallel to I-73/74. NC 109 runs from north to south from the Davidson County line to its end in Troy. NC 24/27 both run from the Yadkin River in the west to Moore County in the east.

The forest is one of the key locations used in the US Army Special Warfare School's ROBIN SAGE exercise for the training of Special Forces students.

The first substantial gold strike in the United States was discovered near this area in 1799, and gold was found in the Uwharrie Mountains in the 19th century. A mini gold rush occurred during the Great Depression. Panning for gold in the forest's streams and rivers remains a popular activity. Boating and fishing are available at Badin Lake, while the 20-mile (32.19 km) Uwharrie National Recreation Trail runs through the forest. Other trails and paths provide opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, camping, and horseback riding. Off-road vehicles have their own trail system, which is open seasonally.

Uwharrie National Forest has received attention for unconfirmed sightings of Mountain lions within forest boundaries.^[5]

References

^ "Land Areas of the National Forest System" (PDF). U.S. Forest Service. January 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
^ "The National Forests of the United States" (PDF). ForestHistory.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 28, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
^ Talk Like A Tarheel, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
^ Olson, D. M, E. Dinerstein; et al. (2001). "Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth". BioScience. 51 (11): 933–938. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2. Archived from the original on 2011-10-14. Retrieved 2016-07-07.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Frago, Charles (2015-01-25). "Have Mountain Lions Returned?". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved 2016-02-19.

External links

[1] "Land Areas of the National Forest System" (PDF). U.S. Forest Service. January 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.

[2] "The National Forests of the United States" (PDF). ForestHistory.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 28, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2012.

[North_Carolina_Collection-3] Talk Like A Tarheel, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2019-01-09.

[ecoregions-4] Olson, D. M, E. Dinerstein; et al. (2001). "Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth". BioScience. 51 (11): 933–938. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2. Archived from the original on 2011-10-14. Retrieved 2016-07-07.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[5] Frago, Charles (2015-01-25). "Have Mountain Lions Returned?". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved 2016-02-19.

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v t e National Forests of the United States
List of national forests of the United States
Allegheny Angeles Angelina Apache–Sitgreaves Apalachicola Arapaho Ashley Beaverhead–Deerlodge Bienville Bighorn Bitterroot Black Hills Boise Bridger–Teton Caribou–Targhee Carson Chattahoochee–Oconee Chequamegon–Nicolet Cherokee Chippewa Choctawhatchee Chugach Cibola Clearwater Cleveland Coconino Coeur d'Alene Colville Conecuh Coronado Croatan Custer Daniel Boone Davy Crockett De Soto Delta Deschutes Dixie El Yunque Eldorado Finger Lakes Fishlake Flathead Francis Marion Fremont–Winema Gallatin George Washington and Jefferson Gifford Pinchot Gila Grand Mesa Green Mountain Gunnison Helena Hiawatha Holly Springs Homochitto Hoosier Humboldt–Toiyabe Huron–Manistee Idaho Panhandle Inyo Kaibab Kaniksu Kisatchie Klamath Kootenai Lake Tahoe Basin Lassen Lewis and Clark Lincoln Lolo Los Padres Malheur Manti–La Sal Mark Twain Medicine Bow–Routt Mendocino Modoc Monongahela Mount Baker–Snoqualmie Mount Hood Nantahala Nebraska Nez Perce Ocala Ochoco Okanogan–Wenatchee Olympic Osceola Ottawa Ouachita Ozark–St. Francis Payette Pike Pisgah Plumas Prescott Rio Grande Rogue River–Siskiyou Roosevelt Sabine Salmon–Challis Sam Houston Samuel R. McKelvie San Bernardino San Isabel San Juan Santa Fe Sawtooth Sequoia Shasta–Trinity Shawnee Shoshone Sierra Siuslaw Six Rivers St. Joe Stanislaus Sumter Superior Tahoe Talladega Tombigbee Tongass Tonto Tuskegee Uinta Umatilla Umpqua Uncompahgre Uwharrie Wallowa–Whitman Wasatch–Cache Wayne Wenatchee White Mountain White River Willamette William B. Bankhead
List of former national forests of the United States

v t e Piedmont Triad
Location	North Carolina Piedmont Piedmont Crescent I-85 Corridor
Cities	Greensboro Winston-Salem High Point Asheboro Burlington Clemmons Eden Graham Kernersville Lexington Reidsville Thomasville
Counties	Alamance Davie Davidson Forsyth Guilford Randolph Rockingham Stokes Surry Yadkin
Newspapers	Greensboro News & Record Winston-Salem Journal High Point Enterprise Burlington Times-News Thomasville Times Archdale-Trinity News
Higher education	Wake Forest University Salem College Winston-Salem State University University of North Carolina School of the Arts High Point University Guilford College University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro College Bennett College North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Elon University
Protected areas	Blue Ridge Parkway Deep River State Trail Guilford Courthouse National Military Park Hanging Rock State Park Haw River State Park Mayo River State Park Mountains-to-Sea Trail Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail Pilot Mountain State Park Rendezvous Mountain State Park Stone Mountain State Park Uwharrie National Forest Yadkin River State Trail
Transportation	I-40 I-73 I-74 I-85 US 29 US 52 US 64 US 220 US 311 US 421 Piedmont Triad International Airport Greensboro Urban Loop Winston-Salem Northern Beltway

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	United States Israel

See also

References

External links