A place like no other! Magnificent lodge in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 156 acres surrounded by 63,000 acres of national forest. Classified as a condo w/separate living quarters as well as common areas. 9,200 sqft home that has the ability to lodge 25 plus people.  Different families or large groups can appreciate what a truly special plc this is.  3 Master bedrooms (8 BR total), 2 kitchens, library, several sitting rooms, 12 porches, 130ft of southern exposure and so much more.      

The History:

In the waning days before the turn of the century, some powerful forces were at work forming a vision that was to become Thunderhorse Lodge. The owners wanted to escape urban lifestyle, of course, but what they really wanted was to answer a call to “come home” to nature; to witness the magic of the woods. In exchange they would become stewards, conserving what they were passionate about. Compromise was not a word they tend to embrace, so they set high standards for this new place. They wanted a property that was special and unique, not in the flowery, worn out jargon of advertising, but in a real sense, immediately recognized by anyone lucky enough to visit. What follows is only a taste of the astounding place they fashioned from the woods.

The Property:

It started with the land and the location.  They felt a connection to the mountains and started their quest in Western North Carolina. After much searching they managed to amass 156 acres which neighbors 63,000 acres of national forest. With elevations ranging from 2,000 to 2,800 feet, the property is in the temperate zone. It encompasses the entire southern half of the Cold Spring Branch watershed. The upper half of the watershed is in the bordering Pisgah National Forest.

With the exception of three landscaped acres around the Lodge, almost all of the remaining 150+ acres is near-pristine forest land. Its diversity is impressive: timberm rare plants, wildlife, birds and water. Interior roads wave through hollows and coves making access deep into the forest possible as well as civilized.

Cold Spring Branch travels the width of the property- about one mile- west to east and leaves the property as it crosses under North Carolina Highway 208. With water temperatire a constant 55 degrees year around, and a flow rate of 50+ gallons/minute in dry weather, this medium sized stream originates in national forest lands above the Lodge property. This watercourse is populatednwith native trout, crawfish, snails and branch minnows.

Fragrant mountain laurel blloms from mid-May through mid-June, wen the rhododendron population provides a spectacular show for the following four weeks through mid-July. Dog hobble blooms before the mountain laurel to fill the gap between the early spring bloomers such as saxifrage, trillium and cohash, and the late bloomers the laurels and rhododendron.

A walk in an ancient forest feeds all your senses. Making time to experience it in person is well worth the effort.

Reverence for the land shows itself around every corner. Stewardship to these owners meant attention to matters large and small when they carved roads through the forest and put in the infrastructure to support a new home. The organizing principal that guided the was to Leave it Better Than We Found It. One example of what they did makes the point.

Thunderhorse Lodge preserve has ancient, healthy, hemlock trees, a number of which are centuries old. As you probably know Eastern Hemlocks are sadly going the way of the American Chestnut- they face extinction unless a forestry management plan is executed which protects them.

Hemlocks are the Southern Highlands' oldest living species- up to 6,000 years- and play a huge role in maintaining forest habitat for many living things. The owners felt their trees were worth the effort to save and preserve. Their hemlock management plan is in its fifth year, protecting about a thousand trees.

The Lodge:

The parameters for this home are more principal-centered than "designer guidelines." Comfortable, not ostentatious, was the organizing principle informing decisions about building the Lodge.  Function was another, and this house works! Adaptive use, meaning being useful in a number of situations (i.e. handle a range of guests from 6 to 75) leverages usage of the home. Other organizing principles were Bring the Outdoors In, Push the House Back in Time, Take Indoors Outside, and Make the House Disappear.

These owners happen to be a little on the analytical side of the spectrum so the specifics in the home and on the property are rather astounding. At thunderhorselodge.net you can get more details.

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