Balsam Mountain Preserve Sylva, North Carolina Real Estate

Community Amenities

• Homesites: Homesteads average 1.5 to 2 acres with breathtaking mountain views, changing elevations and stream-side serenity. All border conservation easements to guarantee future privacy. Elevations range from 3,000-4,700 feet and properties start in the $300,000s.
• Arnold Palmer Golf Course: Multi-award winning championship course, the Arnold Palmer signature course meets its goal of incorporating the magnificent mountains views into a challenging, playable course with elevation changes and ample fairways.
• Golf Practice Park: Designed so golfers can work on all aspects of their game in one of the most beautiful mountain settings. With 30,000 square feet of bentgrass teeing area on 3 tiers, target fairways, and 3 different target greens, golfers can create a multitude of practice scenarios.
• Equestrian Center: With a full-time stable manager, the equestrian center offers a state-of-the-art barn and adjacent riding areas. Over 10 acres of fenced pastures ensure horses have abundant room. Residents take advantage of private lessons and guided trail rides on more than 20 miles of community trails. The trail system connects with the Nantahala National Forest with an additional 500,000 acres of riding habitat.
• Ruby Valley Sports Camp: The special gathering place for families, the open-air Pavilion anchors the camp which provides a heated junior Olympic pool, Har-Tru tennis courts, and fitness center. Families congregate to enjoy table tennis, foosball, cards, and a high definition television.
• Dark Ridge Creek Camp: A magical place for overnight family trips or a destination of horseback rides, the camp includes a covered pavilion, two enclosed bunkhouses, tent sites, horse paddock, hiking trails and modern facilities. With a nod to sustainability, a water wheel provides power to the camp.
• Nature Center: The home base for the Balsam Mountain Trust, a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of the history and land of the area. Over 3,000 acres of land on the Preserve has been placed in preservation and the Trust employs 3 fulltime naturalists who provide programming for residents unmatched by any other mountain community.
• Community Trail System: The community has 34 miles of private hiking, biking and equestrian trails that range from one-quarter mile up to 4 miles long. Difficulty ranges from easy to challenging and culminates in a strenuous climb up Doubletop Mountain at a 5,400 feet elevation. Every opportunity offers hikers with miles of mountain streams, deep canopied woods and beautiful blue skies.
• Fishing: Residents enjoy 38 miles of clear mountain streams and can choose from individual fishing excursions or participate in guided trips lead by the on-staff naturalist.
• The Boarding House Restaurant: Featuring a lounge, rustic bar, library and large outdoor covered porch with large stone fireplace, the restaurant is the showplace for Executive Chef Jonathan Gillespie who is renowned for using local produce and meats.
• Boarding House Private Resident Club: With membership limited to 40 families, the club affords entry level ownership by allowing fractional ownership. Owners purchase a deeded interest in one of ten luxury cabins.
• Sustainable Building Practices: Built with antique wood and dry stack stone, cabins are just one example to the dedication to an environmentally conscious community. Examples of eco-efficiency include geothermal heating of cabins, roofs of recycled materials, firewood from cleared homesteads and hydropower from community streams are just a few examples of the commitment to environmental stewardship.
• Developer/Builder: Chaffin Associates is internationally known for developing unique, organic and highly livable communities. The builder, Platt Architecture whose practices were honored in 2006 with designing the HGTV Dream Home, has the reputation designing highly livable floor plans using eco-friendly materials with a modern design that emphasizes outdoor living rooms
• Location: Just off the Great Smoky Mountain Expressway, residents enjoy a short drive to Sylva and Waynesville for daily errands and activities. Asheville is just a 45 minute highway drive away.