Field Sites
Highlands Biological Station provides access to an exceptional network of natural areas — from diverse habitats on the HBS campus itself to sites in Macon and Jackson Counties, surrounding National Forests, and some of the most significant protected lands in the Southern Appalachians.
Partner sites range from privately owned preserves accessible through HBS's relationships with the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust and Mainspring Conservation Trust to millions of acres of National Forest and National Park lands within easy reach of campus.
Research and class visits require advance approval. All proposed uses must be submitted as a brief written summary and emailed to the Associate Director (jlove@wcu.edu) for review prior to arrival. Some sites are privately owned and access is granted only by permission, which HBS can help facilitate. National Forest research requires District Ranger approval. Sites are listed below in order of increasing distance from the Station.
Explore Partner Field Sites
Filter the cards below by habitat type or access level to find sites that match your research needs. National Forest and National Park lands are listed separately in the sections below.
HBS Campus — Botanical Garden & Research Zones
Over half of the 24-acre campus is natural area: an exceptional old-growth ravine in native acidic cove forest, a well-developed bog, first and second-order streams, Lindenwood Lake (~5 acres), two permanent vegetation plots, and a climate monitoring station.
On-site resources →Howell Preserve, Whiteside Mountain
6-acre preserve at Whiteside Mountain featuring northern hardwood and cove forest habitats. Owned by the Highlands Biological Foundation.
Dulany Bog
A bog complex co-owned by HBF and the USFS. Special permission required — contact HBS before planning any visit.
Bracken Bog Preserve
A bog and wetland complex with some old-growth forest. Available for research and educational use through the HBS–HCLT partnership.
Brushy Face Preserve
Acidic cove forest with significant old-growth stands. Trail access available.
Trail guide PDF →Dixon Pond
Montane pond and surrounding woodland. A unique aquatic and riparian study site.
Trail map PDF →Henry Wright Tract
An exceptional acidic cove and old-growth forest site. Restricted access — special permission required through HBS.
Kelsey Trail Preserve
Acidic cove forest with trail access maintained through the HCLT partnership.
Trail map PDF →Laurel Knob
A granitic dome with a high-elevation rock outcrop community and Table Mountain Pine habitat.
Lindsey Olive Preserve
Mixed forest and bog/wetland habitat available for research through the HCLT partnership.
McKinney Meadow
Early successional meadow habitat — ideal for studies of plant colonization, invertebrates, and mid-succession ecology.
Sargent Property
Acidic cove forest contiguous with the HBS campus — extends the effective research footprint of the Station substantially.
Sassafras Gap Farm
Early successional agricultural land providing contrasting habitat types for comparative ecological research.
Satulah Mountain
Satulah Mountain summit with a granitic dome and high-elevation rock outcrop community. A landmark site for botanical and lichen studies.
Hiking tour PDF →Tessentee Bottomland Preserve
Early successional floodplain on the upper Little Tennessee River with extensive rivercane stands, wetlands, and low-elevation pine-oak forests. Provides low-elevation habitat types rare near HBS.
Mainspring property page →Welch Farm
Oxbow wetland and floodplain forest on the Valley River with early successional habitat.
Mainspring property page →Queen Branch
Early successional habitat and floodplain on the Little Tennessee River.
Mainspring property page →Gibson Bottoms
Early successional hay fields, mixed oak-hickory forest, and riparian corridor on the Little Tennessee River.
Mainspring property page →Balsam Mountain Preserve
Private community near Sylva, NC with ~3,300 acres under a conservation easement through the North American Land Trust. Elevations 2,700–5,400 ft; diverse forest types, four mountain streams, three NC Natural Heritage Areas.
Site description PDF →Land Trust Partners
HBS maintains active partnerships with two regional conservation land trusts that make their protected properties available for research and educational use.
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust
HCLT is a conservation non-profit protecting the natural and scenic lands of the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau. Their preserved properties provide HBS researchers and educators with access to some of the most ecologically significant forests, bogs, and granitic domes in the region.
Visit hcltnc.org →Mainspring Conservation Trust
Based in Franklin, NC, Mainspring protects lands throughout western NC — including critical riparian corridors, floodplains, and rivercane stands along the Little Tennessee River that provide low-elevation habitats and ecosystems not found near the HBS campus.
Visit mainspringconserves.org →National Forests
HBS sits within the Nantahala National Forest and is closely surrounded by three additional National Forests, providing millions of acres of field habitat within easy reach of campus. Note: research on National Forest lands requires prior approval from the relevant District Ranger.
Nantahala National Forest
HBS is located within the Nantahala NF, providing immediate access to extensive trails, cove forests, spray cliff communities, rock outcrops, and Atlantic and Gulf drainage stream systems.
Notable USFS sites and natural areas nearby:
- Ellicott Rock Wilderness
- Chattooga River (Wild & Scenic)
- Blue Valley Experimental Forest
- Dry Falls
- Whiteside Mountain & other granitic domes
- Panthertown Valley
- Buck Creek Serpentine Barren (Clay Co. — largest serpentine site in the Southeast)
Pisgah National Forest
Located to the east of HBS in North Carolina, Pisgah NF adds extensive high-elevation terrain, diverse cove and northern hardwood forests, and important research watersheds to the accessible landscape.
Chattahoochee National Forest
South of HBS in Georgia, Chattahoochee NF extends the range of accessible research sites into lower elevations and different physiographic settings of the Southern Blue Ridge.
Sumter National Forest
Located to the south in South Carolina, Sumter NF provides access to southern Blue Ridge physiography including the Chattooga River Wild & Scenic corridor and Ellicott Rock Wilderness.
Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory
A 5,400-acre USFS research site founded in 1934, renowned for pioneering forest ecosystem ecology and hydrology research. Formerly part of NSF's Long-Term Ecological Research program, with continuous climate and stream discharge data dating to the mid-1930s.
Research requires prior approval from the Coweeta Project Leader. HBS can facilitate tours of the site.
State & National Parks
Gorges State Park
7,500-acre NC state park noted for its extraordinary biodiversity, deep river gorges, forests, rivers, and waterfalls — all highlighting the habitats of the Blue Ridge Escarpment.
Blue Ridge Parkway
A 469-mile national park corridor linking Great Smoky Mountains NP to Shenandoah NP. In southwestern NC the BRP traverses high-elevation Plott and Great Balsam Mountains with extensive spruce-fir forest.
Closest access: US 23/74 at Balsam Gap (between Waynesville and Sylva) — ~1.5 hr from HBS.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The crown jewel of the Southern Appalachians — an 800 square-mile park renowned for its extraordinary biodiversity, rugged topography, great elevational range (850–6,643 ft), and pristine conditions. Home to the largest expanse of spruce-fir forest in the southern Appalachians.
~1.5 hr from HBS to the Cherokee, NC / Oconaluftee entrance.
Plan Your Research at HBS
Contact the Associate Director to submit your research proposal or inquire about field site access. We're here to help facilitate your work.