Mill Spring · Polk County, North Carolina
A conservation community at the north end of Polk County, where the farms share 50 miles of riding trails and most of the land is protected for good.
Walnut Creek Preserve sits at the north end of Polk County between Mill Spring and Lake Lure. Bob and Babs Strickland bought the tract in 2003 and planned it around horses and conservation together, with no more than 25 farm sites averaging 20 acres each, according to the Tryon Daily Bulletin.
The trails are the centerpiece: 50 miles of riding and hiking trails, double the original commitment, with trailer turnarounds at the ends of the interior roads and four concrete and stone bridges over Walnut Creek.
Conservation is permanent here. Conserving Carolina holds easements protecting 1,590 acres, including more than two miles of Walnut Creek, and describes the preserve's trail network as a resource for the wider equestrian community. The preserve is also part of the Tryon Hounds' territory.
Farm sites here change hands rarely. If Walnut Creek is on your list, tell us early and we will watch for it.
At a glance
Sources
Private conversations
Tell us the acreage, the stalls and the discipline. Some farms here change hands quietly, so the earlier we know, the better.