Taken from a 1993 Forest Service map of bear habitat, shown in green. The orange line is the area proposed for protection in The Wilderness Society's "NC Mountain Treasures. Gray and dark green show private land. Major trails are shown as dashed lines.

Location:  Nantahala Mts in Macon County, just S of Wesser Bald wild area and N of Burningtown Gap and Split Whiteoak area.

Access:  From Wesser take US 19 SW to launch site then left up river on County 1310 to left on Cty 1365, which crosses Tellico Gap and AT S of the Wesser Bald wild area.  Walk AT S into wild area.  Or walk N on AT from Cty Road 1397 at Burningtown Gap.

USGS Topographic Quadrangles:  Wesser, Wayah Bald, (Alarka), (Franklin)

Features/Description/Potential:
    AT runs N-S at 4200 to 5000 ft elev. along the ridgeline connecting Rocky, Black, Tellico, Copper Ridge, and Burningtown Balds.  In general this high elevation area is rocky with thin soils and old but not very large trees, mostly oaks with patches of rhodendrons and laurel.  There are good views to the E from several locations along the ridge.  The wild area has an eastern extension along a crooked ridgeline from Copper Ridge Bald at 5256 ft. via Flint Rock Gap, Flat Knob, Rattlesnake Knob to Copper Knob at 3700 ft.  FS reports lots of 100+ yr. stands along these ridges.  Scouting trips confirm outstanding forest.  The AT Cold Spring Shelter is located about 1.5 miles N of Burningtown Gap.  There were reports of sightings of two bears and one mountain lion in the trail register at this shelter during the spring of 1993.  Several miles N a short blue blazed side trail leads to the top of Rocky Bald with fine views to the E.
     The area is separated from the  Split Whiteoak area to the S only by Cty Road 1397 coming up to Burningtown Gap from the W, continuing to the E as Forest Road 7114.  FS 7114 is open but much too steep and rough to drive.  The forest around FS 7114 was logged within the past 30 years, but Burningtown Creek which the road parallels, is quite wild, passing through a deep, hard-to-access ravine below Bridge Branch.  One scouting group found tracks of wild pig and bear with cub.
     To the N the area is separated from the Wesser Bald wild area by Cty Road 1365 which passes E-W through Tellico Gap.
 
 

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