CHIMNEY ROCK, N.C. - The Carolina Climbers Coalition (CCC) and Access Fund are thrilled to announce the purchase of Lower Ghost Town in Chimney Rock, NC. This acquisition represents the culmination of a 25-year effort by CCC and Access Fund to provide access to one of the highest quality, yet least accessible, crags in North Carolina. The CCC has purchased this property with the assistance of an Access Fund Climbing Conservation Loan and funding from the Great Trails State Grant.

The Ghost Town cliffs of Round Top Mountain sit across from Chimney Rock State Park above Chimney Rock Village at the southeastern end of Hickory Nut Gorge. This is the most dramatic end of the gorge, with views of sheer cliffs in all directions, most of which don’t allow public access for climbing. Lower Ghost Town will join Rumbling Bald, located just a few miles down the road, as some of the only secure, open climbing areas in the heart of Hickory Nut Gorge.

“For over 20 years, Ghost Town has been our highest priority access project. Conserving this property was truly a team effort over decades of concentration with a diverse set of stakeholders.” said Mike Reardon, executive director of the CCC. “The major players of that team include various CCC members, Access Fund, the Village of Chimney Rock, Rutherford County TDA, NC State Trails Program, Conserving Carolina, CR Glamping, and the Great Trails State Coalition. Each of these organizations contributed so much over the years to make this once ‘lofty’ dream a reality.”

Climbers began visiting the cliff in the mid-1970’s when a mock Western amusement park called Silver City opened in the meadow below the cliffs, coupled with a gondola ride from Main Street in Chimney Rock. Climbers in the ‘70’s were known to ride the gondola, explore splitter cracks by day, and camp out in the amusement park’s faux-jail at night. After the amusement park closed its doors, a developer made plans to construct 40 house sites on the property, which failed in the early 2000’s. The allure and mystique of Ghost Town began spreading via word of mouth, and in the 1990’s-early 2000’s climbers discovered 400’ immaculate faces, NC’s largest collection of cracks, black and orange streaked rock with severe overhangs, and a collection of atypical geologic formations all in a scenic setting over the Hickory Nut Gorge. Three of North Carolina’s hardest climbs were established during this time: The Good (5.13d trad), The Bad (5.14b sport), and the still un-sent The Ugly (project). Property sales in the early 2000’s, and the growth of climbing brought on ‘no trespassing’ signs causing climbing in the area to fizzle, but climbers have not forgotten Ghost Town’s relevance.

“The story of Lower Ghost Town is truly one of perseverance” says Daniel Dunn, eastern regional director at Access Fund. “The climbing community in North Carolina refused to give up on the dream of one day protecting and opening these exceptional cliffs, and that determination led to this historic win. Successes like this highlight the invaluable role Access Fund and Local Climbing Organizations play when we work together and stay committed to protecting our climbing resources.”

When the state of North Carolina passed legislation for the Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail in 2017–attempting to map a hypothetical, roughly 100 mile public access trail through Hickory Nut Gorge–the CCC and Access Fund immediately noticed the trail’s relevance to Ghost Town. The heart of the planned State Trail was proposed through the Ghost Town cliffs, and trail connectivity to the Village of Chimney Rock could be a win for climbers, hikers, and businesses, all while bolstering the state’s conservation plans. The NC Trails program released a survey asking for public feedback on who and what purpose this newly proposed State Trail should serve. The most abundant comments of that State Trail survey were ‘Climbing’, ‘Ghost Town’, and ‘Round Top’, highlighting the interest from the climbing community. Identifying this potential with the State Trail, CCC began to work with the Village of Chimney Rock in 2020 to build the ½ mile Village Boulders Trail, leaving from Main St of Chimney Rock. Following construction of the trail by CCC’s C4 trail team, it was officially designated as a spur of the Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail. Completion of this trail meant that if the Ghost Town access property were to become available, hikers and climbers would have legal access directly from the heart of Chimney Rock Village. When Chimney Rock Glamping purchased the lower Ghost Town property in 2023, the CCC and Access Fund promptly began working with the new property owners on climbing access, including plans to divide the parcel for conservation and public access.

“The Ghost Town property is a critical link for completing the Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail and offers the best route to connect Chimney Rock Village to Chimney Rock State Park” says Kristin Cozza, Trails and Greenways Manager for Conserving Carolina, the state-designated organization leading the trail’s completion. “We’ve partnered with the CCC on other great trails in the Gorge, and we’re excited to work together again to build this new trail.”

Then came Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27, 2024, which essentially leveled the Village of Chimney Rock and devastated the entire region. Helene was one of the nation's worst natural disasters in recorded history, and the heart of the Hickory Nut Gorge was one of the hardest hit areas. People lost lives, homes, and businesses. Roads are still inaccessible one year later. The Village went from 30+ booming businesses to zero overnight. The landscape changed, as this was a geologic event, not just a storm. But not all was lost. The community has since come together to begin rebuilding. With that rebuild and unplanned ‘fresh slate’, a reimagining of the Hickory Nut Gorge region is emerging, and a focus on sustainable outdoor recreation compliments that new vision for the area.

“The Chimney Rock Village Task Force has created an impressive master plan for rebuilding the village,” says Mayor Peter O’Leary. “This climbing area will be a wonderful asset in that plan for the Village and the Gorge. We love to work with partners like the CCC who understand the importance of this area for recreation and outdoor activities. This will certainly add to the lure of Hickory Nut Gorge for tourists as well as outdoor enthusiasts.”

The purchase of the Lower Ghost Town secures 16.5 acres, critical access point, and approximately 25% of the total climbing at Ghost Town. The remaining 75% of the climbing areas lie on State Park property with a yet to be determined access future. The CCC hopes to extend the Village Boulders Trail 1.5 miles onto the new Ghost Town property, with the intention of having this new trail designated as a segment of the Hickory Nut Gorge Trail. For climbers, the CCC property includes soon-to-be classic climbs like Wide Erp (5.10+ wide lie back flake), The Ugly (project—once freed will be NC’s hardest climb), Solar Slab (a series of diagonal cracks to a beautiful face), and Lumberjack Crack (5.10a 125’ crack corner). The CCC land contains approximately 50 established routes with more to go and dozens of unknown boulders. Long time NC climber Tim Fisher explains “This acquisition could eventually double the amount of south facing climbs in Hickory Nut Gorge.”

“North Carolina’s investment in outdoor recreation and trail infrastructure is an investment in our people, our communities, and our future.” says Palmer McIntyre, Director at the Great Trails State Coalition (GTSC). GTSC is a group of 130+ nonprofits, local governments, and industry partners working together to advocate for increased state investment in all types of trails in North Carolina. The work of this coalition led to the creation of the Great Trails State Program in 2023, which directs millions of dollars toward key trail projects in North Carolina. The CCC was awarded a Great Trails State grant in 2025 to support a portion of the land acquisition and some trail construction costs for this project. “When public agencies, nonprofits, and local leaders come together around shared goals, we build more than trails — we build connections that strengthen our economy, promote health and well-being, and showcase the natural beauty that makes North Carolina such a special place to live and visit.” says McIntyre. Protecting this property is more than just protecting 17 acres; this is a keystone land holding to the connectivity of the Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail and a prime example of the benefits of merging recreation and conservation with economic improvement.

There are many ways to help the CCC fully protect and open Ghost Town. Donate today at https://tinyurl.com/GhostTownFund. Become a member or renew your membership at carolinaclimbers.org/join. Share posts to your social media and spread the word.

Access Details

Public access will be limited to organized trail work days and volunteer days until trails are built to sustain the impacts of public climbing access, and curb any private property issues. The planned public access trail used to access all the climbing on the property will be roughly 1.5 miles with roughly 800 feet of elevation gain. Trail construction will begin in Nov 2025 and we anticipate completing the initial 0.75 miles by April 2026. Chimney Rock State Park also owns the upper portion of Ghost Town cliffs. Climbing areas on State Park property will remain inaccessible for now. Stay tuned for work days at carolinaclimbers.org/events.

About Carolina Climbers Coalition

The Carolina Climbers Coalition is a 501c3 nonprofit since 1995 with a mission to protect, preserve, and expand climbing opportunities in the Carolinas and beyond. CCC works directly on climbing management with federal and state land agencies, municipalities, partnering nonprofits, land trusts, and private landowners to open and maintain climbing areas in the North and South Carolina, and a slice of Virginia and Tennessee. Their modest membership of 1050 annual members average over 8,000 hours of stewardship to regional crags and boulder fields per year. For the CCC, stewardship consists of trail work, bolt replacement, erosion mitigation, parking lot building and enhancements, rare species monitoring, graffiti removal, and trash clean up. CCC has successfully worked with land managers to open dozens of climbing areas, and actively maintains 30+ climbing areas. Lower Ghost Town represents the CCC’s sixth land holding for the sake of public climbing access. For more information visit www.carolinaclimbers.org.

About Access Fund

Access Fund is the national advocacy organization that leads and inspires the climbing community toward sustainable access and conservation of the climbing environment. Founded in 1991, Access Fund supports and represents millions of climbers nationwide through land acquisition, land owner support, policy, and stewardship. Through its network of nearly 140 local climbing organizations, Access Fund has successfully completed nearly 100 land acquisition projects resulting in the protection of over 17,000 acres of climbing areas and nearly 14,000 routes and boulder problems. www.accessfund.org.

Carolina Climbers Coalition and Access Fund Purchase Lower Ghost Town

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