Under the Old Cullowhee Road bridge over the Tuckasegee, there's a strip of open ground that looks like nothing much. The bridge was built that way on purpose. Cullowhee Revitalization Endeavor, the community group known as CuRvE, pushed for the replacement bridge to include sidewalks, conduit for lighting and enough space below the deck for a path that could someday link to the Jackson County Greenway by way of Monteith Gap Road. The bridge is finished. Smoky Mountain News reported that the completed bridge has sidewalks and enough height underneath for a future greenway. The trail hasn't been built yet.
That gap sums up the Cullowhee River Park. Most of what has been done so far is groundwork you can't see from the road.
A Park Built Underground First
On the riverbank between Old Cullowhee Road, Wayehutta Road and the Tuckasegee, the visible progress is a lot of cleared ground. Here is what is already in place, according to CuRvE's presentations to Jackson County commissioners, most recently in April 2026:
- Land. Two properties on Wayehutta Road have been purchased, along with rights of way for other parcels.
- Demolition. Two buildings on the acquired land have been razed.
- Invasive removal. Invasive plants on the site have been cleared and are being cleared again.
- The bridge. The Old Cullowhee Road replacement was built to fit the greenway and river park plans.
- Plans on paper. Asheville Design Center drew renderings in 2022, and Michael Baker International later produced a cost estimate.
- Studies. CuRvE has also completed viability, economic impact and community interest assessments.
Land and a compatible bridge took the longest to line up, and both are now in place.
Eighteen Years and Two Different Parks
The idea is older than many people assume, and it has changed shape along the way.
- 2007. CuRvE starts as a community group working to clean up and beautify Cullowhee.
- 2008. CuRvE forms a River Park Committee. The next year it brings state and federal resource agencies together with local partners to discuss the idea.
- 2014. The first concept is an in-stream whitewater park. Using public funds from the Southwestern Development Commission, CuRvE hires Scott Shipley of S2o. His design calls for three or four drop structures for kayaking, playboating, surfing and river-running.
- By January 2020. The land opening comes from the bridge project. NCDOT had bought property for the bridge and indicated that surplus parcels could go to the county. Smoky Mountain News reported seven DOT parcels totaling 4.33 acres, next to 0.9 acres owned by Western Carolina University.
- A December 3 work session. CuRvE presents a land-based Phase 1 to county commissioners, as The Sylva Herald reported. Whitewater moves to a later Phase 2.
- April 7, 2026. CuRvE Chair Matt Tornow presents the same vision to the county board again, along with the completed groundwork.
Phase 1 sits along the water's edge. The plan includes more parking for park visitors and Cullowhee businesses, reservable pavilions, an event stage with pads for food trucks and other vendors, public restrooms, ADA access to the water with a wading beach, and a connection to the greenway. The plan adds roughly 30 parking spaces, and commissioners and Tornow spent part of that December meeting on how scarce parking is now.
Tornow framed the project broadly when he spoke to commissioners, as The Sylva Herald reported:
"The park is more than a greenspace. It is a hub for connection, culture and commerce."
The river-recreation phase now depends on a study of what removing the Cullowhee Dam would mean for that stretch of the Tuckasegee. The whitewater features from 2014 are on hold until that question is answered.
What's Missing Is Money
The land is in hand. The next step is funding.
CuRvE put Phase 1 at about $1 million and proposed that the county pay for it, at least at first. In that same Sylva Herald story, Tornow said CuRvE intended to help find additional funding, pointing to the group's past work with the county tourism authority and American Rivers. At the time, County Manager Keven King said CuRvE had not yet made a formal request, and the county's finance manager said any money would likely come through the greenway project.
The April 2026 presentation was recorded in the commissioners' minutes as an informational item, with no construction date attached. So there's no opening date to put on the calendar.
There is a date for the next work on the site, though.
November 14 Is the Next Day of Work on the Site
MountainTrue and CuRvE are holding a volunteer workday at the future park site, 39 Wayehutta Road, to pull out nonnative invasive plants. The organizers name Chinese privet, bittersweet and kudzu as the main targets. The details from MountainTrue's event page:
- When: Saturday, November 14, 2026, 1 to 4 p.m. The rain date is November 21, and organizers ask volunteers to hold both days.
- Where: 39 Wayehutta Road, Cullowhee, NC 28723.
- The work: Mostly digging out roots and using hand tools. There are large and small jobs, so you don't need to be able to do heavy labor.
- Experience: None needed. Tools and training are provided.
- Extra: Volunteers can get a free annual MountainTrue membership by emailing [email protected].
- Contact: Tony Ward at MountainTrue, 828-617-0826.
Kudzu and privet grow back from the roots. That's why invasive removal shows up as both finished work and ongoing work in CuRvE's progress reports.
The Trail at the Other End Is Already Busy
The park is meant to sit at the end of the greenway, and the existing greenway already gets far more use than its length suggests. The paved trail runs about a mile along the Tuckasegee, from the large footbridge at Locust Creek to Monteith Gap Road. According to The Sylva Herald, county trail counters averaged nearly 10,000 crossings a month at the Greenway Bridge over the past two years, and the Locust Creek lot is often full on sunny weekends. A handout from Friends of the Jackson County Greenways projects about 150,000 visits for the year. It also says most users come two to six times a week.
That's a lot of traffic for one mile of trail. The county has bought parcels for a 2.6-mile extension and plans to do much of the building with its own crews. A tight stretch along Ledbetter Road still needs engineering. At the commissioners' March 3, 2026 work session, Friends of the Greenways described a 1.6-mile expansion launching in the spring. The group's materials say the expansion is moving the trail toward WCU and the river park. Check with the county before planning a walk on any new section.
Leigh Ann Young, Webster's vice mayor and a Friends board member, described how slowly this kind of land comes together. She told The Sylva Herald, "sometimes you have to wait a generation for opportunities to present themselves." The park's own history, from a committee in 2008 to surplus bridge parcels reported in 2020, fits that pattern.
The River This Season
Until the park has its wading beach, the developed public access in this area is Locust Creek Access on Old Cullowhee Road. It's free and has a ramp for canoes, kayaks and small drift boats, plus accessible parking, sidewalks and a kiosk. Jackson County maintains it under a lease from Duke Energy.
The trout rules on the Tuck changed on October 1. The county's fishing guide lists the Tuckasegee from the NC 107 bridge at Love Field down to the NC 116 bridge at Webster as delayed-harvest trout water. Upstream, from East LaPorte Park to the NC 107 bridge, the river is hatchery-supported water. Under the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's trout rules, delayed-harvest water is catch-and-release from October 1 through the Friday before the first Saturday in June, with single-hook artificial lures only. Check the Commission's current rules and your license before fishing.
If you're at the workday, the closest new place to eat is on Old Cullowhee Road. Peak Pizza Bar opened in spring 2026 at 2968 Old Cullowhee Road, in the former Rodgers Bros. space. The menu includes pizza by the slice, hoagies, pickle-brined chicken sandwiches, wings, cocktails and beer. The Sylva Herald reported it's open every day except Wednesday, which works for a Saturday afternoon workday.
I grew up in these mountains, and projects like the Cullowhee River Park are part of why this place feels like home. If you're thinking about a home near the greenway or the Tuckasegee, I'm glad to walk the river corridor with you in person or by video tour. When you're ready, reach out to Jose Feria and let's talk it through. Work With Feria.
