 Hickory Nut Gorge is a magnificent jewel in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Over the eons, the winds and waters have carved this 10-mile granite gorge through spectacular, sheer cliffs. Starting at the Eastern Continental Divide, the tumultuous waters of Hickory Nut Creek cascade for miles over small, beautiful waterfalls and merge into the powerful, boulder-strewn Broad River, before finally coming to rest at Lake Lure. Scenic Highway 74A twists and turns its way down the gorge passing through the mountain villages of Gerton, Bat Cave, Chimney Rock and Lake Lure.
These tumbling waterfalls and soaring granite cliffs have been sacred to the inhabitants since even before the Cherokee honored these lands. It is a place filled with powerful healing energies and has always been a valley of peace. Our vision is to preserve and protect the vibrant forests, to maintain the ecological balance of the rich habitats, and to keep pure the pristine trout streams. In everything we do, protecting this land comes first.
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 At the mouth of Hickory Nut Gorge is Chimney Rock State Park, named after a large granite outcropping located on a summit above the village of Chimney Rock. A private park for many years, it was recently purchased by the State of North Carolina and is now a new state park. |
 Halfway down Hickory Nut Gorge, you arrive at the small village of Bat Cave. It was named after a cave at the foot of the mountain, inhabited by a multitude of bats. This unique site is now owned and protected by the Nature Conservancy. Special tours can be arranged through them in the summer.
Lake Lure sits at the lowest end of Hickory Nut Gorge. The Rocky Broad River ends its cascade down Hickory Nut Gorge and flows into Lake Lure. Great stretches of water, three long bays, islands and inlets form a picturesque lake in this mountain setting. |
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 Hickory Nut Gorge has a fascinating past. The Cherokee lived in these valleys for centuries before white settlers came. Many relics and arrowheads have been found at former villages and hunting grounds.
In the early 1800s, pioneers and settlers began moving into western North Carolina from the east. This natural 10-mile long cleft in the Blue Ridge Mountains up the Broad River and Hickory Nut Creek became the main passageway for travelers heading to Asheville.
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Hickory Nut Creek and the Rocky Broad River have carved an amazing gorge exposing the sheer granite cliffs on both sides of the valley. Tumbling nearly 10 miles over many waterfalls, these waters finally settle into the beautiful Lake Lure.
