Last Updated on July 13, 2026 5:16 pm
AVERY COUNTY, N.C. — Blue Ridge Conservancy (BRC) and The Conservation Fund (TCF) have announced the purchase of a critical 1-acre inholding on Grandmother Mountain near Linville, completing the protection of the mountain's north-facing slope.
The property is located within the boundary of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is managed by the National Park Service. It is the final puzzle piece to a 210-acre procurement that TCF transferred to the National Park Service in 1998.
Located on the eastern slope of Grandmother Mountain, the property is rugged, rising to 4,510 feet in elevation, and entirely covered by mature forest. In addition to its significant scenic value, the N.C. Natural Heritage Program's Biodiversity and Wildlife Habitat Assessment ranked it as above average in biodiversity.
This purchase preserves the scenic integrity of Grandmother Mountain as viewed from the Blue Ridge Parkway and Grandfather Mountain State Park, and will eventually join the surrounding land as part of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
“This project completes the protection of the north side of Grandmother Mountain that is highly visible from the Linn Cove Viaduct on the Parkway and from Grandfather Mountain,” said Michael Leonard, a longtime North Carolina land conservationist and now senior real estate associate at The Conservation Fund. “At the request of Fred Stanback, who has done so much to protect so many views along the Parkway, The Conservation Fund began this protection effort 30 years ago in 1996, and we were lucky to be dealing in 2025 with a landowner with deep family ties to Linville and Grandfather who also wanted this beautiful mountainside to be preserved.”
“Blue Ridge Conservancy is proud to partner with The Conservation Fund to secure this critical inholding on Grandmother Mountain,” stated Eric Hiegl, Senior Director of Land Protection & Conservation Planning. “Land conservation requires a long term commitment, seeing this project finalized is an exciting achievement.”
The Conservation Fund protects the land that sustains us all, applying effective strategies, efficient financing approaches, and enduring government, community and private partnerships to protect millions of acres of America's natural land, cultural sites, recreation areas and working forests and farms across all 50 states. Learn more at www.conservationfund.org.
Blue Ridge Conservancy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit land trust, partners with landowners and local communities to permanently protect natural resources with agricultural, cultural, recreational, ecological and scenic value in northwest North Carolina. Learn more at www.blueridgeconservancy.org.
