Mountain Island Educational State Forest now open

North Carolina’s newest educational state forest is now open to the public. Located in Stanley on an important conservation easement, Mountain Island Educational State Forest (ESF) is a working forest, emphasizing forestry best management practices (BMP) related to water quality. Nearby Mountain Island Lake, from which the forest takes its name, supplies water to one out of every 12 residents in North Carolina.

“Forests give back to the land by filtering the water we drink, cleaning the air we breathe and sequestering carbon,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Because Mountain Island Educational State Forest is a working forest, it provides an opportunity to demonstrate to the public the advantages of good forest management.”

Mountain Island ESF is one of six educational state forests that have been developed by the N.C. Forest Service to serve as a living classroom to teach children and adults about the complex, interdependent ecosystems that make up a forest.

Forest features include a robust forestry education center, indoor and outdoor classrooms, four hiking trails -- including the distinguished Talking Tree Trail -- individual picnic tables located throughout the forest and a large picnic shelter that can be reserved to accommodate large groups with nearby restrooms.

The forest will be open weekly, operating on ESF winter hours through the end of February. The forest is closed on weekends November through February, with weekend hours resuming March 1. Mountain Island ESF hours of operation are:

• Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• The forest is closed Saturday through Monday.

The forest will also be closed during designated state holidays which include Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Visitors can find more information about program options, trail updates and other public use area availability by visiting www.ncesf.org/mtisland or by contacting Mountain Island ESF rangers at 704-601-1060.

The N.C. Forest Service worked closely with several partner organizations to create Mountain Island ESF. Partners include Duke Energy, Trust for Public Land, North Carolina Land and Water Fund, Lincoln County Parks and Recreation, Gaston County Parks and Recreation, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Lincoln County Natural Resources, Catawba Lands Conservancy, Gaston County Natural Resources, Gaston County Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Carolina Land and Lakes.

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