Pisgah National Forest, National Forest in Appalachian Mountains, North Carolina.
Pisgah National Forest is a protected area in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina covering roughly 500,000 acres. Deep valleys alternate with wooded slopes, and the terrain ranges from gentle hills to steep ridges with elevations up to around 6,000 feet (1,800 meters).
The forest came into being in 1916 when the Vanderbilt family sold part of their Biltmore Estate to the federal government. Within a few years of its founding, additional parcels of land were acquired gradually from private owners.
The name comes from Mount Pisgah, a peak George Vanderbilt named after a biblical mountain. Foresters and loggers developed early sustainable forestry methods here in the early twentieth century that later spread across America.
Trails crisscross the entire area and lead to waterfalls, viewpoints, and clearings spread across multiple elevation zones. Visitor centers provide free maps and orientation boards that help with route planning.
Some of the first parcels for eastern national forests were acquired here under the Weeks Act of 1911. The government bought back what had previously been logged privately in order to stop soil erosion and secure water supply.
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