The Wilson Creek area is located in the Grandfather district of the scenic Pisgah National Forest

Pisgah National Forest

Pisgah National Forest is a National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. It is administered by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. The Pisgah National Forest is completely contained within the state of North Carolina...

, northwestern section of Caldwell County, North Carolina

Caldwell County, North Carolina

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 77,415 people, 30,768 households, and 22,399 families residing in the county. The population density was 164 people per square mile . There were 33,430 housing units at an average density of 71 per square mile...

. Wilson Creek itself is a water system that originates in Calloway Peak and stretches for 23 miles before dumping into John's River. It was added to the Wild and Scenic River

National Wild and Scenic River

National Wild and Scenic River is a designation for certain protected areas in the United States.The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was an outgrowth of the recommendations of a Presidential commission, the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission...

 System on August 18, 2000. There are several designations in Wilson creek area which include: Wild - 4.6 miles; Scenic - 2.9 miles; Recreational - 15.8 miles.

History

The Wilson Creek Wilderness area was once used by the Cherokee Indians

Cherokee

The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...

 as a summer hunting grounds. It was settled in 1750, and logging began on the dense forest. Mortimer

Mortimer, North Carolina

Mortimer, North Carolina is a ghost town in Wilson Creek Township, Caldwell County, in the northwestern part of the state.Once a mill town with a population of around 800, the town flooded in 1940 and was subsequently abandoned...

, once the largest community in the Wilson Creek area, was the site of the Ritter Lumber Company sawmill and a small textile mill

Cotton mill

A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....

. The mills provided jobs enough to sustain 800 residents. If still in existence, Mortimer would be the county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Caldwell County, North Carolina

Caldwell County, North Carolina

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 77,415 people, 30,768 households, and 22,399 families residing in the county. The population density was 164 people per square mile . There were 33,430 housing units at an average density of 71 per square mile...

 (which is now Lenoir, North Carolina

Lenoir, North Carolina

Lenoir is a city in Caldwell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 18,228 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Caldwell County. Lenoir is located in the Blue Ridge foothills. The city also contains the Brushy Mountains, a spur of the Blue Ridge Mountains...

) Mortimer flooded on August 13, 1940

Recreation

The Wilson Creek area is frequented by hikers and recreation enthusiasts. There are plenty of places to fish, hike, and camp. Dispersed camping is allowed throughout the forest area, but sites must be set up at least 100 ft. from any water. The Wilson Creek Gorge area is available for day use but there is limited parking.

Listed below are the campgrounds in the Wilson Creek area.

MORTIMER CAMPGROUND is a beautiful, primitive campground located 10 miles up the mountain from Brown Mtn. Beach. It is operated by the Forest Service & is open from April 1 - October 31. It has 23 sites for tents and small campers. Fire rings, picnic tables, and 2 bathhouses (with flushing toilets & showers) are available. The fee is $10.00 per night.

BROWN MOUNTAIN BEACH RESORT is nestled against the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The campground has camping facilities as well as cabins.

Activities include:

• Camping
• Swimming
• Fishing
• Hiking
• Canoeing
• Kayaking
• Geocaching
  Geocaching
  Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world....
  
  
• Mountain Biking