Wolf Laurel, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Wolf Laurel, North Carolina, is an unincorporated, private gated community, located in Madison and Yancey Counties of Western North Carolina. It is located approximately 30 miles north of Asheville, North Carolina
, 6 miles from interstate 26
and borders the Cherokee National Forest
, Tennessee
state line and Appalachian Trail
. It is named after Wolf Laurel Branch, which flows into Puncheon Fork after leaving the community upstream.
The community is composed mostly of summer and part time residences, nestled within the valleys and perched on the slopes of the Walnut Mountains, at elevations ranging from 3500 to over 5500 feet in altitude. Located within the community are tennis courts and recreational center, a golf course and country club center, numerous hiking trails, and road access to the national forest lands and Appalachian Trail.
Skiers from around the southeast visit Wolf Laurel, primarily for the ski resort contained partly within the community boundary. Wolf Ridge Ski Resort is one of several in western North Carolina and still uses one of the last standing chairlifts, manufactured by Ski Lift International
.
Due to the altitude and because of lying within a region which is subjected to a regular meteorological phenomenon known as Northwest Flow Snow Events (NWFS), the average annual snowfall is uncharacteristic of other areas this far south. During the winter months, the community is lightly resided, and mostly attended with visitors to the ski resort.
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
, 6 miles from interstate 26
Interstate 26
Interstate 26 is a nominally east–west main route of the Interstate Highway System in the Southeastern United States. I-26 runs from the junction of U.S. Route 11W and U.S. Route 23 in Kingsport, Tennessee, generally southeastward to U.S. Route 17 in Charleston, South Carolina...
and borders the Cherokee National Forest
Cherokee National Forest
The Cherokee National Forest is a large National Forest created on July 19, 1936, by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, operated by the U.S. Forest Service and encompassing some 640,000 acres .-Location:...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
state line and Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
. It is named after Wolf Laurel Branch, which flows into Puncheon Fork after leaving the community upstream.
The community is composed mostly of summer and part time residences, nestled within the valleys and perched on the slopes of the Walnut Mountains, at elevations ranging from 3500 to over 5500 feet in altitude. Located within the community are tennis courts and recreational center, a golf course and country club center, numerous hiking trails, and road access to the national forest lands and Appalachian Trail.
Skiers from around the southeast visit Wolf Laurel, primarily for the ski resort contained partly within the community boundary. Wolf Ridge Ski Resort is one of several in western North Carolina and still uses one of the last standing chairlifts, manufactured by Ski Lift International
Ski Lift International
Ski Lift International was an aerial lift manufacturer based out of Incline Village, Nevada. SLI was established by co-founders Samuel G. Bonasso and Joseph Sugarman, with Bonasso as its first president. The company built 46 lifts, mainly double chairlifts, from 1965 until 1973. SLI had a...
.
Due to the altitude and because of lying within a region which is subjected to a regular meteorological phenomenon known as Northwest Flow Snow Events (NWFS), the average annual snowfall is uncharacteristic of other areas this far south. During the winter months, the community is lightly resided, and mostly attended with visitors to the ski resort.