Animals were the first to create pathways along the Swannanoa River and the ridgelines of the Swannanoa and Craggy mountain ranges as they traversed the rugged mountain countryside.
The tall forests and rich carpet of undergrowth in the uninhabited mountains provided food and shelter for bear, elk, deer, mountain lions, buffalo, and many smaller creatures.
Animal images from US Fish & Wildlife (USFW).
Before the coming of man, animals roamed freely, leaving hard packed trails across the mountain gaps and down the valleys to protected drinking spots.
Buffalo are now extinct in the mountains. Once thought extinct, two breeding pairs of mountain lions have been sighted in the Ridgecrest and Montreat areas. Also, the gray wolf and elk have been reintroduced to the mountains in the past few years. Others including bears, white tail deer, possums, skunks, bobcats, chipmunks now share their territory with modern mankind.
