Pale Corydalis

If you are planning to hike on Whiteside Mountain in the Cashiers Highlands Plateau near Stonefly, be sure to take note of the variety of wildflowers and different plant communities growing on the slopes.  The variety of soils, light, and moisture on the mountain create a mixture of plant habitats.

Fraiser’s Magnolia

Gray Beardtongue

The north-facing, moist [...]

HIGHWAY 64 rises on the one-hour drive from Asheville, N.C., to the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau in the Blue Ridge Mountains. As it climbs, the cool mountain air and the wide expanse of sky offer a sense of refuge for those arriving from hot, sticky cities like Atlanta and Charleston.  That sense of refuge has drawn [...]

The Chattooga originates at the base of Whiteside Mountain, a massive, 4,800 foot tall granite  monolith on the escarpment known to the Cherokee as the “Great Blue Wall”. The Chattooga River from its origin flows unimpeded by any manmade stucture for 60 miles, making it one of the longest free flowing rivers in the United [...]

Through the endangered species program, the peregrine falcon was reintroduced in1985 to Whiteside Mountain, part of the birds native range. These birds return annually to nest on the exposed rock faces. If you are hiking near Stonefly during the spring and summer, you may see peregrine falcons flying above or sitting on rock outcrops. During [...]

Named for its stark grayish-white sheer cliffs, Whiteside Mountain is located between Cashiers and Highlands, North Carolina and can be seen from many of the home sites in Stonefly. Whiteside Mountain is claimed to have the highest cliffs and the highest vertical drop east of the Mississippi. It rises more than 2,100 feet from [...]