As close to nature as it gets. Rockledge at Fontana Lake
Fontana Lake is one of the best-kept secrets in Western North Carolina. The 29-mile long, 10,600-acre lake has more than 240 miles of shoreline. Record-size muskie and walleye have been pulled from its depths and it’s one of the best smallmouth bass fishing lakes in the country. From the lake, boaters also have a unique perspective of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with an unobstructed view from lake level to the top of Clingmans Dome, the park’s highest peak.
The National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service border more than 90 percent of the land around Fontana Lake, assuring the natural preservation of its future. And tucked along its shoreline, right where it meets the famous whitewater Nantahala River, is a special gated community that feels very much like a national park—but with all the comforts of home.
Selecting this community is as natural as the great outdoors.
Rockledge, just 20 minutes from Bryson City, NC and an hour from Asheville, offers a private community of quiet natural splendor. Access to the national park and the Appalachian Trail is just steps away. The 213-acre community is carefully planned with only 55 home sites of one to seven acres in order to maximize privacy and the panoramic mountain, lake, and river views while providing for wide but unobtrusive roads. With 17 home sites now sold or under contract and four homes currently under construction or in the architectural design process, now is an ideal time to take advantage of the best property selection.
Dedicated to outdoor living and recreation, Rockledge features a private marina with a double-deck dock and covered slips for the exclusive use of its residents who tend to be younger and more active. The lake is ideal for swimming, boating, skiing, kayaking, paddle boarding, and canoeing. The network of hiking and biking trails within the community connect to the Appalachian Trail and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The new Rockledge community lodge is now complete with the final landscaping touches being finished as you read this. Here, you, your family and visiting friends can enjoy the beamed great room with one of the two stone fireplaces or make good use of the well-equipped fitness center, the kids’ game and playroom (or outdoor toddlers’ wilderness playground) and the events kitchen with an adjacent outdoor grille. Or shoot a little pool, anyone? And the outdoor verandas offer sweeping views of both mountains and water.
An extraordinary, exclusive amenity—The Nantahala Outdoor Center
Of particular note is the Rockledge direct access to the Nantahala Outdoor Center, with which they share the mountain and which is located right at the community’s south gate. Residents can walk or mountain bike to the NOC and enjoy Rockledge owner privileges including two restaurants, a pub, programs and activities including whitewater rafting and kayaking, fly-fishing, a zip line and tennis.
Bryson City, just ten miles away, offers a scenic but dynamic “hometown” destination to enjoy with varieties of quality dining, boutiques, entertainment, scenic rail line excursions and the “Music in the Mountains” free concert series in the summertime.
Naturally, there is plenty of access to golf courses, including the Smokey Mountain Country Club and the championship Sequoyah National Golf Club, among others. Cherokee is only 40 minutes away with a stadium, 3-D movies, and the upscale shopping, dining, and entertainment of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.
Meet John Seckman—An owner from Nashville, who can’t help but call Rockledge “enchanted”.
Growing up in Tennessee, John had a childhood full of exposure to the wonders of the great outdoors. He and his wife knew they wanted to someday provide the same opportunities for their children and grandchildren. And, after exploring very many locations, when they stumbled upon the property at Rockledge a few years ago, they knew they had found something even better than they could have imagined.
“We wanted wholesome activity for our family”, says John, “There is so much to do here, we simply can’t do it all!” They jumped on the opportunity to purchase their home site and have spent every holiday and vacation camping or renting cabins in the area ever since.
Now, they have begun plans to build their dream home. A successful businessman, John says, “I have a heart for the outdoors. It’s my release. There are a lot of beautiful lakes in this area, but nothing that offers what Rockledge can.” The Seckmans keep a boat on the lake, which John describes as “pristine, uncrowded and unsuburbanized”.
Having direct access to the Nantahala Outdoor Center, or “NOC”, as John calls it, has been especially important to the Seckmans. Aside from all the activities and programs they offer, the family enjoys the selection of restaurants, the pub and especially the people who work and play here.
The setting of the Seckman’s home site overlooking the lake and the national park is so beautiful that John’s future son-in-law chose it as the spot to propose to his daughter. “The next day, we were all out on the lake and we saw a mother bear and her four cubs swimming on the lake, then climb out and wander into the park.” John says there are many magic moments such as these that they have shared. “This place is almost enchanted”, says John, “I really love it”.
Community Facts:
Home sites: $95,000 to $325,000
Home site sizes: One to seven acres
60 minutes from Asheville
20 minutes from Bryson City
40 minutes from Cherokee
20 minutes from Swain Community Hospital, A Duke LifePoint Hospital
