Jan. 2—Canton became a major player on the outdoor recreation circuit in 2022 with the opening of Chestnut Mountain Park.
The 450-acre recreation area began with an idea from Hanni Muerdter, the conservation director at Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. The Pisgah High School graduate was friends with Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers and pitched the idea of preserving the tract between Canton and the Buncombe countyline in perpetuity, benefiting wildlife and ensuring public open space for generations to come.
Thanks to a combination of $3 million in grant funding and donations, the property was purchased by the land trust and then gifted to the town, provided it be used for a conservation-based park for outdoor recreation.
But acquiring the property was just the first step. During 2022, five grants totaling over $1 million were secured to begin the build out of the park’s trails and amenities.
A key partner emerged out of the woodwork in Seth Alvo, a Mills River mountain biker who was famous in YouTube mountain biking circles, with more than 2 million subscribers.
Alvo was searching for a place to build a free public bike park and partnered with Canton to make that happen. His YouTube followers contributed money to build a mountain bike skills course known as Berm Park, a 35-acre area within Chestnut Mountain Park.
The trails in Berm Park contain jumps, obstacles, twists and challenges that attract cyclists from far and wide seeking new thrills. That’s what happened on opening day at Chestnut Mountain Park in August when the parking area was filled by early morning and the park jam-packed all weekend, with many visitors from across the U.S. who had been closely following the Berm Park development and showed up to try it out.
Hiking trails and overlooks are also part of the initial recreation build-out of the site, with more still to come.
The Canton outdoor recreation destination was made possible by visionaries, multiple partners and people thirsting for a meaningful outdoor experience. Chestnut Mountain Park was the culmination of all three, and was a home-run for Canton.
County gears up
In 2019, the Haywood County commissioners were re-evaluating the county’s role in recreation, and were contemplating throwing in the towel.
Historically, the towns of Waynesville and Canton did the heavy lifting in the recreation arena, providing the parks, playgrounds, pools and ballfields used by county residents as a whole. County leaders questioned the merit of having their own recreation department, which seemed like a duplication of what the towns did. They contemplated axing the county’s recreation department and instead making a financial contribution to the towns for providing recreation services.
Enter then-Commissioner Kirk Kirkpatrick, who had attended a conference on outdoor recreation and was pumped about the growing demand and interest.
So the county decided to re-envision its recreation focus on the outdoors — from hiking to fly-fishing to mountain biking — which filled a niche without duplicating what the towns already did.
It turns out, that’s just what the public wanted. A public survey in 2021 showed that attitudes toward recreation had indeed shifted. The public’s recreation wishlist was heavy on the outdoors, including greenways, natural trails, biking, a community garden and adventure activities.
Taking its cue from there, the county developed a parks and recreation plan that incorporated the priorities — chief among them another mountain biking park.
This one would differ from the trails at Chestnut Mountain, however. It would feature a so-called pump track, designed more for youth, where bikers make a circuit over jumps and swails. It would also check off other boxes with the inclusion of a walking path, picnic area and adventure playground.
The county landed a $500,000 state grant to make the new recreation park a reality, on property next to the long-closed Francis Farm landfill off the Old Asheville Highway just outside Waynesville. Work is expected to begin this summer.
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