Pisgah View Outing

On July 15, 23 naturalists visited the yet-to-be-opened Pisgah View State Park in Hominy Valley – the first state park in Buncombe County.  We were led in our exploration by Jamie Cameron, the park ranger, who gave us an overview of the park and then led the group on trails up the mountain and to a nearby bog.   The park opening is slated for 2025, but Jamie thought that it might take another year or two to conform to requirements for state parks.

The Park was formerly  the “Pisgah View Ranch” which offered horseback riding, rental cabins, swimming pool, a tennis court, and other amenities. The biggest challenge for the 1,300 acre park is what to do with the numerous structures there, many of which are in a state of disrepair since the former facility closed. Jamie said there are volunteer opportunities to help in preparing the park for opening. We will let our members know once we have that information.

Thanks to many very knowledgeable naturalists we were able to complete a list of plants(127), trees(37), birds(13) and butterflies(9) which are attached.  Feel free to download the lists and if you notice any discrepancies please notify Paul Fredrickson at outdoorprograms@brnnetwork.org. This list will form the basis for upcoming walks we will have at the park and of course will be shared with Jamie.