6,500-acre NC wilderness site for sale, waterfalls included. See how much it costs.

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

A vast stretch of Appalachia wilderness that Daniel Boone likely traversed and wild horses still roam is for sale in Western North Carolina. All you need is a cool $97 million and it’s all yours.

The property known as Falling Waters spans 6,500 sprawling Watauga County acres near the Blue Ridge Parkway and is accessible from six state roads.

Wild horses gallop about Falling Waters.
Wild horses gallop about Falling Waters.

The property includes several lakes, five major waterfalls, 20 miles of trout streams, meadows, rolling hills and many 360-degree views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, according to its listing by Gretchen Coley, a Raleigh-based broker with Fortune 500 Realtor Compass.

The highest waterfall stands at 180 feet.

Falling Waters also includes 50-plus miles of mountaintop trails for hiking and horseback riding.

The expansive Falling Waters acreage includes five major waterfalls.
The expansive Falling Waters acreage includes five major waterfalls.

“The interior of the property has been meticulously maintained with miles of trails, paths and roads, all with grades of 8% or less that provide accessibility to most areas,” according to the listing.

Falling Waters’ address is 316 Lewis Fork Baptist Church Road in the unincorporated community of Purlear, about a 15- to 20-minute drive from Boone, Blowing Rock, West Jefferson and Wilkesboro. Charlotte lies 95 miles southeast.

But the acreage includes “multiple parcels that have come together to create this once-in-a-lifetime offering,” Coley told The Charlotte Observer Friday.

Such tracts are rare outside of a state park, and this one is free of conservation easements, Coley said.

Falling Waters is the last property of its size available in Western North Carolina, she said.

The Daniel Boone connection

Falling Waters has a “rich heritage” dating to Daniel Boone, according to the property listing.

The famous frontiersman lived in various wilderness areas of North Carolina after moving with his parents in 1750 from Pennsylvania, according to his bio on VisitNC., the state’s tourism website.

He was 22 years old and living in Davie County when he married his wife, Rebecca Bryan, who was 17, according to the Daniel Boone Heritage Trail page on VisitNC.com.

The couple moved up the Yadkin River to Wilkes County before adventuring elsewhere through the mountains and eventually to Virginia, Kentucky and the Trans-Appalachian West, according to VisitNC.

The Daniel Boone Heritage Trail “is all around” various parts of Falling Waters but doesn’t cross the land, Coley said.

A portion of the property, and perhaps the most beautiful part, was originally part of 43,000 acres owned by the Johnson family who founded American Drew Furniture Co., Coley said.

‘Pristine topography’

You’re back in pioneer frontier days at Falling Waters in Watauga County.
You’re back in pioneer frontier days at Falling Waters in Watauga County.

Two homes were added to the property over the years, along with three buildings to store agriculture equipment and a remote, off-grid cabin, Coley said.

Roads and paths throughout the acreage ensure easy access to and throughout the land, she said. .

A trout stream gushes in Falling Waters.
A trout stream gushes in Falling Waters.

“The pristine topography of Falling Waters is truly inspiring,” Coley said in a news release last month announcing the property was for sale.

If this panoramic view at Falling Waters doesn’t soothe your soul, we give.
If this panoramic view at Falling Waters doesn’t soothe your soul, we give.

Coley said the acreage is perfect for a land conservancy to buy and preserve. But a conservation-minded individual could also purchase the property, protecting part of it and using the rest for whatever uses they choose, she said.