Living at The Preserve at Rock Creek is more than just having a vacation home—it's a lifestyle. The property is designed to maximize natural features while maintaining integrity, yet offers access for our property owners in an unobtrusive way.
With elevations ranging on the property from 2,900' to 4,400', you will find natural amenities like aquatic stream beds, waterfalls, large rock outcroppings, cliffs, and caves.
As it is located in a temperate rainforest microclimate, plant diversity on the property is plentiful with wildflower meadows in the spring and summer giving way to our hardwood forests' impressive color displays in the fall. Rare plants and truly unique wildlife habitats can be found throughout the property.
Rock Creek
Small Waterfall on Property
This naturally occurring water way is one of many flowing water bodies that criss-cross Transylvania County, also known as the Land of the Waterfalls with over 250 waterfalls in the county. Rock Creek meanders the length of the property to a stocked trout pond near the gated entrance where all estate owners may try their hand at fly fishing, a popular mountain sport.
Rock Creek Gently Flowing
On Rock Creek's journey down the western slope, it flows over one of the most magnificent features of The Preserve is Rock Creek. Rock Creek Falls is a natural two-stage waterfall on the property. At the base of the falls is a small park where you can sit and enjoy the serenity that the trickling falls offer. The majestic Rock Creek Falls is accessible via a gravel road or by embarking on the Rock Creek Trail.
The Rock Creek Trail winds through groves of mountain laurel and natural forests skirting the banks of Rock Creek as it goes. As you hike the trail and explore the rest of the community areas and protected forests, you will be intrigued with the unusual rock outcroppings and cliffs on the property.
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- Small Park at Base of Falls
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- Rock Creek Falls
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- Large Rock Formations are Just Some of the Natural Amenities on the Property
Equestrian Area
The Equestrian Area has a fenced-in meadow to graze horses. This part of The Preserve belongs to all property owners and may be used as needed. Water is provided at the meadow in the Equestrian Area. There is a covered leanto shelter that may be used for cover. The total fenced-in portion of the meadow is 8 +/- acres and the total Equestrian Area meadow is 54 +/- acres.
The Equestrian Area from Lot #1
What is now the Equestrian Area is actually what prompted Tim Bright to create the Preserve at Rock Creek. At the top of Toxaway Mountain, he was looking down from Falcon Ridge. In the middle of this valley meadow, an RV campground was about to open. It immediately became Tim’s mission to remove the campground and thus began his vision to put the Preserve at Rock Creek into permanent conservation. The first easement was set up and Tim immediately ripped out the eye-sore of the existing concrete slabs and formed the meadow that is now the Equestrian Area.
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- Two Horses and a View of the Leanto
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- Mountain Views in the Background
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- Up Close and Personal
Ecological Diversity
The Preserve at Rock Creek contains an excellent array of wildlife habitat. A biological baseline survey undertaken when property development began reported that several endangered species would remain protected in the 215-acre conservation easement.
Wandering through the property along the Rock Creek Hiking Trail will give you the opportunity to discover several rare plant species. Wildlife is abundant thanks to the combination of protected forest, the grassy meadow, and Rock Creek — all of which combine to make a perfect habitat for animals and plants native to the mountains of North Carolina.
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- Wild Turkey
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- A Whitetail Deer
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- Flame Azalea
Rare Plant Species you may come across include: Eastern Sweetshrub, Devil’s-bit, Smooth Loosestrife, Ill-scent Trillium, Catesby’s Trillium, and Large-flower Trillium. Other, more common, plant species on the property include: Jack-in-Pulpit, Daisy Fleabane, Flowering Spurge, Flame Azalea, and Goldenrod. Desidious tress baring brilliant fall color on the property include various species of Maple, Tulip Poplars, and Oaks.
Wildlife species you may find at Preserve at Rock Creek include the Cerulean Warbler, Yellowfin Shiner, Eastern Woodrat, American Goldfinch, Carolina Chickadee, Song Sparrow, Tufted Titmouse, Cabbage White butterfly, Pearl Crescent butterfly, Coyote, Black Bear, Eastern Chipmunk, Grey Squirrel, Red Fox, White-tailed Deer, and Wild Turkey.
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- A Blue Heron – One of our First Families
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- Mallard Drake and Hen Sun in our Stocked Trout Pond
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- A Common Frog
One critter to watch out for is the Green Salamander. If you see this little guy on your adventure in the woods, we ask that you do not disturb him since he is on the North Carolina endangered species list and has a happy home in the protected land found within the Conservation Easement.
The property is also close neighbors with Nantahala National Forest and Panthertown Valley which is said to have a diversity of biological species matched only by a plateau high in the Himalayas.
You can download our ecological survey for full details (9.6 MB).
Burlingame at Sapphire Lakes
With the primary premise of The Preserve at Rock Creek being solitude and peacefulness, we are far from having country club-like amenities. For our owners that enjoy the quiet life but still enjoy the occasional country club amenities, we have created an alliance with Burlingame at Sapphire Lakes. Burlingame is an exquisite country club community located in the beautiful North Carolina Mountains just a few hundred yards from the entrance to The Preserve. Find out more...
