Nearly 80 percent of old-growth forests in the southern Appalachian region had been logged by the early 20th century. Fortunately, the United States Forest Service stepped in before it was too late, purchasing several tracts of remaining virgin forests for future generations to enjoy. Today, visitors can stand beneath towering 400-year-old trees and explore a remnant of the original Appalachian forest at Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest.
What: Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, part of the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness within the Nantahala National Forest
Where: Located outside of Robbinsville, North Carolina, just 120 miles northeast of Chattanooga
Highlights: One of the last remaining stands of old-growth virgin forest in the southern Appalachian Mountains
For more information: Visit the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest website at or contact the Cheoah Ranger District at 828-479-6431.
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest is home to more than 100 species of trees, including virgin stands of sycamore, hemlock, basswood, oak and yellow poplar. Many of the old-growth trees reach 100 feet and 20 feet in circumference. The forest is actually part of a much larger preserve, the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness within the Nantahala National Forest.
The Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness was primeval forest until the early 1900s. Originally part of the Cherokee Nation, it was explored by Lt. Henry Timberlake in the 1750s, ceded to the United States in 1835, and then settled by a handful of families until the mid-1800s. Logging companies owned much of the land until the early 1900s. In 1935, a regional forester wrote that the Joyce Kilmer area was one of the “very few remaining tracts of virgin hardwood in the Appalachians… and we ought to buy it to preserve some of the finest original growth in the Appalachians.” In 1936, the U.S. Forest Service purchased 13,055 acres, paying $28 per acre during a time when most land was selling for $3 to $4 per acre. While most of the surrounding land had been logged, the majestic trees of Joyce Kilmer had been protected by the drastic drop of lumber prices after 1929 and the recognition of the area’s unique forest legacy.
The only way to see Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest is on foot. Visitors can enjoy an easy two-mile trail that winds through one of the last virgin cove forests in the southern Appalachian Mountains. A plaque along the trail commemorates the forest’s namesake, Alfred Joyce Kilmer, a World War I hero and poet who is best known for his poem “Trees,” which he wrote in 1913. Kilmer was killed on July 30, 1918, while serving in France during World War I. After his death, the Veterans of Foreign Wars requested the Department of Agriculture find land with trees magnificent enough to serve as a living memorial to the soldier. Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest was dedicated on July 30, 1936.
“Trees”
by Joyce Kilmer
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
Although the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest has survived the threat of logging, fire and other human and natural impacts, the trees have not been able to fend off the invasion of non-native insects and fungus blights. Remnants of the majestic American chestnut tree are scattered throughout the forest, a reminder of days past when it reigned as king of the forest before a non-native fungus destroyed billions of American chestnut trees in the early 20th century. Today, the hemlock wooly adelgid, a non-native aphid-like insect, is taking its toll on the forest. According to the U.S. Forest Service, about 95 percent of the hemlock trees in Joyce Kilmer are gone as a result of the insect.
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest is beautiful year-round, offering a show of native wildflowers in the spring and summer, colorful foliage in the fall, and scenic mountain vistas each winter. The memorial forest trail is for day-use only and does not connect to any other trails within the wilderness. Picnic tables, grills and restrooms are available in the parking area at the memorial forest, but camping and bikes of any type are not allowed.
Historic lodging near Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest:
The historic Tapoco Lodge Resort is an interesting overnight option if you plan to visit Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. Situated on the banks of the Cheoah River in Robbinsville, North Carolina, Tapoco offers riverfront and mountainview suites, as well as rustic cabin lodging. This family-friendly lodge, which was established in 1930, features a restaurant, swimming pool, hiking trails and tennis courts.
To learn more, visit the Tapoco Lodge Resort website or call 828-498-2325.
