This Land, Your Land

The annual Mother's Day weekend waterfall tour at DuPont State Recreational Forest is set for Saturday, May 12, and Sunday, May 13.

The 12-mile shuttle bus tour visits the forest's four most scenic sites: Triple Falls (below), High Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Lake Julia. Visitors can get off and on buses at each stop. The tour takes three hours or longer, depending on how much time is spent at each stop.

"Tour de Falls is intended to provide families and those with limited hiking abilities a chance to see the beauty of DuPont Forest and some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the Southeast via shuttle buses," a news release says.

Buses will be available at the High Falls Access Area, 1300 Staton Road, Cedar Mountain (N35E11.356', W082E 37.425'), approximately every 40 minutes from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The 10,400-acre forest straddles the Transylvania/Henderson county line.

Volunteers on the buses and at each stop will provide information about the area's history and efforts to protect the forest's historical and natural resources.

Light refreshments will be available in the lodge overlooking Lake Julia, the last stop on the tour. Otherwise, visitors should bring water and snacks; there are no food concessions. Triple Falls and High Falls have covered shelters with picnic tables.

A donation of $6 for ages 6 to 17 and $12 for ages 18 and older is requested.

Friends of DuPont Forest, a non-profit organization that works with the state Forest Service and Department of Agriculture to "enrich the recreational experience and preserve the natural resources" in the forest, sponsors the tour each spring.

The Friends initiated a fall version of the tour last September.

Click on the photo of Triple Falls for more information about DuPont State Recreational Forest.

The State Forest Service will present the recently completed Land and Resource Management Plan for DuPont State Recreational Forest at a public hearing on November 3 in Hendersonville.

Forest Service staff will "explain the planning process and provide an overview of the plan as it relates to the management of natural communities, wildlife habitat and recreation," according to a news release. The plan doesn't appear to be available online at this point.

DuPont was transferred to the state Department of Agriculture and designated a "state recreational forest" (as opposed to "state forest") earlier this year, and forest supporters feared the transfer from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources could change the primary orientation of the forest from recreation to timber production.

"Topics of discussion at the meeting will include how that new designation will affect current and future projects involving recreation, invasive species control, prescribed burning and timber harvesting," the release says.

Thursday's meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the Henderson County Public Library, 301 N. Washington Street, Hendersonville.

"Meeting participants are encouraged to ask questions and offer comments regarding the current and future management of the forest," Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler says in the release.

The Friends of DuPont State Forest have announced dates for a fall version of Tour de Falls, a 12-mile shuttle bus tour to four spectacular sites in DuPont State Recreational Forest.

Buses departing from the High Falls Access Area every 30 minutes will take visitors to Triple Falls, High Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Lake Julia from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. on September 24 and 25, a Saturday and Sunday.

The Tour de Falls has also been held in May.

The High Falls Access Area is at 1300 Staton Road, Cedar Mountain, N.C. (N35E11.356', W082E 37.425').

The tour takes three hours or longer, depending on how much time you spend at each stop, according to the Friends. There are no food concessions at the forest, so visitors need to bring food and water. Light refreshments will be available at the lodge overlooking Lake Julia, which is the last stop on the tour.

The tour is free but a donation of $6 for ages 6 to 17 and $12 for ages 18 and older is requested. There are no advance reservations.

Donations to the nonprofit Friends of DuPont Forest "are used to finance construction projects such as shelters and steps at the waterfalls, to maintain 90 miles of trails, and to support research and educational projects that protect historical and natural resources within DuPont State Recreational Forest," the group says.

Click on the photo of Triple Falls for more information about DuPont State Recreational Forest.