Much of the 1,000-acre Chimney Rock Park put up for sale for $55 million this week would be open to development, should negotiations with the state fail.Chimney Rock Co. President Todd Morse stressed Wednesday that he and his family — owners of the land for more than a century — want to preserve the park’s trails, the chimney and other sensitive natural areas.

The public roams through about 550 acres that includes the 315-foot-high chimney, a 404-foot-high waterfall and miles of hiking trails. But above the cliffs lie another 450 acres that the public never sees, including an old apple orchard and woods. “If you had a development up on top of the mountain that could be separate from the park but had some interaction with the park — if you could leave the park basically alone — that’s one thing that could be kind of wonderful,” Morse said. (more…)

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With the world at his fingertips, seven-time Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong could have trained for his final Tour De France anywhere. However, the challenging ride, climbing from to more than 2,300 feet in three miles, at Beech Mountain was the route he chose to help him prepare for the Tour De France while recovering from cancer in 1998. Today, bikers who seek a challenge or have personal aspects of their own to overcome, often follow the same route, which locals have named the “Tour De Lance.” For those looking for less of a challenge, Beech also offers scenic rides on 51.2 miles of paved bike routes as well as mountain biking options.

Many people flock to Beech Mountain’s trails because of Armstrong. After four consecutive Tour DeFrance wins, Lance Armstrong’s spring 1998 stay in the Blue Ridge Mountains had become somewhat of a legend. Armstrong, a cancer survivor, was considering retirement from cycling in 1998. As a last attempt, his coach brought him to Boone, NC for a week of riding. As he reached the top of Beech Mountain, one morning, Armstrong says he regained his competitive edge. “I was a bike racer again,” Armstrong said in his autobiography. “If I ever have any serious problems again, I know that I will go back to Boone and find an answer.” Some people want to follow in Armstrong’s footsteps; others just want to know what it feels like to cycle their way to the top of a mountain. (more…)

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