The future Pisgah View State Park in western North Carolina is beginning to take shape. The centerpiece of the unit will be created from land owned by the Cogburn family since the late 1700s. The family opened Pisgah View Ranch in 1941, and it became a beloved spot for generations of guests to gather for events and outdoor recreation. In 2019, the Cogburn family decided to sell the land to the state of NC for creation of a new state park – the first in Buncombe County. Thanks to an allocation in the NC state budget passed this year, the planned acquisition of land for the park could be completed within two years.

The Process of Creating a State Park

NC state parks are funded mostly through the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF), and the Land and Water Fund, private donations, and, on the rare occasion, special appropriations. Timing for completing acquisitions for the future park depends in part on the total amount designated for PARTF in the state budget each biennium.

“Each year, the division of parks and recreation will request Parks and Recreation Trust Fund monies to purchase the initial lands for the park,” said Katie Hall, public information officer for the division. “How quickly we purchase the lands for the park will depend on balancing priorities across the park system and annual funding to PARTF from the General Assembly.”

“Since the 2008 recession the state’s trust funds have been woefully underfunded,” according to SAHC board advisor Jay Leutze. “Initially the timeline for acquiring over 1500 acres for the future Pisgah View State Park was up to five years. However, with the passage of the NC state budget in November it looks like that acquisition will be completed sooner rather than later.” The budget included a specific appropriation of funds for acquisition of land for the future Pisgah View State Park.  The budget also included significant increases for the state’s three trust funds for land and water conservation, parks and recreation, and farmland preservation. Read more