Glassy Mountain Foothills

• Location: Greenville, SC

• Size: 365 acres

• Habitat: Mature hardwoods and headwater streams

• Public Use: Pending

• Partners: SC Conservation Bank (SCCB), Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources Trust (GCHNRT), Tate Family Foundation, SEW Eurodrive

• Year Protected: 2024

Glassy Mountain Foothills is a 365-acre forested tract of rolling ridge lines with a beautiful mountain stream that tumbles over granite boulders that will nearly connect the Chestnut Heritage Preserve, Naturaland Trust’s holdings, and the Greenville Watershed, forming a significant protected land corridor south of Scenic Highway 11.

The property is in full view of Glassy Mountain and all who travel this stretch of Scenic Highway 11. To keep Highway 11 scenic, we have made land conservation on the Byway one of its core missions. In the last year, we have protected more than 2,000 acres on Highway 11 with the help of the SC Conservation Bank, the SCDNR, and our local partners.

This tract contains important water resources with approximately 3.75 miles of blueline stream and because of its uniquely large size, it is vital to maintaining the rural and wooded aesthetic of this corridor.

The property was once designed and received county approval to be a golf course with adjoining homes. When the plans fell through, the current owner considered alternatives. When he heard that we were interested in protecting the property, he immediately pivoted and agreed to a significant bargain sale to help us raise match dollars. The seller turned down two higher offers from developers in Charlotte and Atlanta in favor of seeing the property protected. We had a purchase option on the property until November of 2024. If we were not successful, the owner will entertain the backup offers. The higher elevations of the property offer incredible views of the mountains to the north and would be coveted by homebuilders. There was a groundswell of local support, however. We received over $60,000 in private contributions to help acquire the property. It was truly a community-driven project. Fortunately, we met our deadline and secured protection of the property.

The tract was timbered in the last 10 years and is comprised of mostly young pine and pioneer trees like sweetgum, poplar and maple. In the stream corridors, however, mature hardwoods dominate the canopy, resembling the iconic forests of the Mountain Bridge Wilderness. There are stunning waterfalls and cold-water streams that host salamanders and other small fish species. We believe there is wonderful opportunity to conduct prescribed burns in the immature forest and to also restore the planted pines to a more ecologically friendly forest type, like shortleaf pine. SC Forestry Commission is looking into this management plan. We have toured the property with SCPRT and they expressed significant interest in making this property a small pocket park off Highway 11 for backcountry camping and mountain biking. Those plans will not materialize anytime soon so we are committed to holding the property until that time.