Buffalo Creek Park - Parking Lot Ribbon Cutting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2022
MEDIA CONTACT:
Laura Krejci, Communications Director, Lake Lure, NC |
communications@townoflakelure.com | 828.625.9983 ext. 103
Event Photos Available for Use Here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uBY8yO1rfiVERAeZFcX06NBBEAP61F-k...
Buffalo Creek Parking Expansion Opens Up Access to
World-Class Wilderness Recreation in Rutherford County
After the grand opening Aug. 25 of a 35-space parking area, which includes
new signage, information kiosks, and clearly-marked trailheads, the pains of
roadside parking and jockeying for coveted spaces is a thing of the past at
Buffalo Creek. Now visitors can enjoy more convenient access to the area's
biking, bouldering, rock climbing and hiking.
LAKE LURE, North Carolina– Leadership and community members of the
town of Lake Lure cut the ribbon on a newly-constructed parking and access
area at Buffalo Creek Trailhead that more than triples available parking and
links adventurers and outdoor athletes to the beloved and rugged bike and
foot paths of Weed Patch Mountain and surrounding wild areas adjacent to
Lake Lure and Chimney Rock State Park.
“Certainly our beautiful lake is what everybody thinks of, but there are so
many opportunities that attract people to our area that are just becoming
more known to people, such as climbing and hiking and biking,” said Lake
Lure Mayor Carol Pritchett.
The project was funded through the support of matching donations of
$40,000 from both the Town of Lake Lure and the Rutherford County TDA, as
well as financial gifts from the Rumbling Bald Resort, and from proceeds from
the annual "Rumble" bouldering competition held in the area by the Carolina
Climbers Coalition.
Wilderness trail access and the economic boon for Lake Lure and the
surroundings are among the key objectives for those who have advocated for
this and other projects in this part of Western North Carolina.
This trailhead parking project is one of more than a dozen envisioned in an
ongoing cooperation between the municipalities in Rutherford County and
the county's Tourism Development Authority as part of the Rutherford Bound
initiative.
“I just want to say how wonderful it is to have a town that has a park like this
that has hiking, it has biking, it has climbing," said Mike Reardon, executive
director of the Carolina Climbers Coalition. "But you also have all of this
conserved land that's behind us–hundreds of acres of untouched forests and
streams–that now we can go in and enjoy.”
The redesigned trailhead area also provides areas for picnicking equipped
with ADA-compatible picnic tables.
“In the three short months I've been here I continue to be impressed with this
community and the amenities we're able to provide residents and visitors,"
said Lake Lure Town Manager Hank Perkins.
About Rutherford Bound – Rutherford Bound is a county-wide tourism
development plan to revitalize and enhance quality-of-life infrastructure
across all of Rutherford County through streetscape enhancements,
improved parks, and a system of greenways, trails, and river access points.
"When you build a better place to live, work, and play; you build a place
people want to visit,” said Don Cason, Executive Director of the TDA.
Learn more about the Rutherford Bound initiative and how you can help
support local projects at Rutherfordbound.com.