OVERVIEW

“TAKE ME HOME COUNTRY ROADS” in the small community of Odd in Raleigh County, West Virginia, brings to mind the John Denver song that you hear reverberating through the beautiful mountains of Wild Wonderful West Virginia.  Big Chimney Forest is such a setting:  a 73 +/- acre property ready for that forever home or getaway cabin, with a home site already excavated and driveway in place and stoned, and the location of the old homestead with the remaining remnants of its large stone chimney. The property may be cleared to develop a great mini-farm.  Big Chimney Forest offers beautiful mountain vistas in a quiet countryside surrounded with plenty of opportunities for the recreational fun-loving family. Come . . . join us in the mountains.

HIGHLIGHTS

• 72+/-ac mostly wooded
• Two home or cabin ready sites
• Exceptional views
• Suited for development of rental cabins
• Convenient to ATV trails, hunting land, historical sites
• Already established ATV and hiking trails on property
• Appalachian Hardwood forest
• Nearby public hunting property
• Low light pollution
• Exceptional stargazing
• 15 min from winter place ski resort

LOCATION

Google Coordinates: 37.599504°(N), -81.194032°(W)
Address: 3001 Odd Road, Odd, WV 25902
Elevation Range: 2587 ft. to 2862 ft. +/-

Drive Times

Highways / Towns

• I-77, Ghent Exit 28: 10 minutes
• Athens, Concord University: 40 minutes
• Beckley: 30 minutes
• Blacksburg, Virginia Tech: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Princeton: 35 minutes

(See Public Schools for additional Higher Education opportunities)

Airport

• Mercer County Airport, Bluefield: 50 minutes
• Raleigh County Memorial Airport: 30 minutes

Recreation

• Golf – Black Knight Country Club, Beckley: 30 minutes
• Golf – Bridge Haven Golf Course on the Gorge: 1 hour
• Golf – Glade Springs Resort: 30 minutes
• Golf – Grandview Country Club: 30 minutes
• Golf – Lakeview Golf Course, Ghent: 15 minutes
• Golf – Pipestem State Park: 45 minutes
• Golf – Twin Falls State Park: 45 minutes
• Glade Springs Resort: 30 minutes
• Lake – Bluestone Lake: 50 minutes
• Lake – Lake Stephens: 45 minutes
• Lake – Little Beaver State Park: 30 minutes
• National Park – Grandview National Park: 40 minutes
• National Park – New River Gorge National Park and Preserve Sandstone Visitor Center: 45 minutes
• State Park – Bluestone State Park: 50 minutes
• State Park – Camp Creek State Park & Forest: 50 minutes
• State Park – Little Beaver State Park: 30 minutes
• State Park – Pipestem Resort State Park: 45 minutes
• State Park – Twin Falls Resort State Park: 45 minutes
• Skiing – Winterplace Ski Resort: 15 minutes
• Summit Bechtel Reserve: 45 minutes

FOREST/TIMBER RESOURCES

Timber resources, complimenting this property is a timber resource that is well positioned for value appreciation over the coming years. With an attractive species mix, adequate stocking levels, and favorable diameter class distribution, the timber amenities represent a strong component of the value to the investor. This well-maintained timber resource can provide a great deal of flexibility to the next ownership in terms of potential harvest revenue in future and can be managed to provide cash flow opportunities to offset holding costs and long-term asset appreciation. The forest has predominantly well-drained upland terrain which has led to a resource dominated by hardwood species. Overall, the species composition is highly desirable and favors Appalachian hardwood types, consisting primarily of white oak, chestnut oak, poplar, cucumber, sugar, red oak, soft maple, and a host of associated species.

WILDLIFE

Big Chimney Forest is an ideal wildlife preserve.  Surrounded by farm fields and Appalachian hardwood forest, the use of constant and adherence management goals have promoted overall wildlife health, facilitated by the harvest of game and the development of food plot areas.  These measures increase the carrying capacity and species diversity on Big Chimney Forest.  The diversity of tree species, the abundant water supply, and the numerous fields around the property create a perfect wildlife habitat. The edge effect created between creeks, hollows, ridges, and rock outcroppings on and around the property benefits all the residential wildlife.  Whitetail deer, black bear, wild turkey, squirrels, rabbits, bobcats, raccoon, foxes and many species of songbirds, owls, and raptors make up the resident wildlife population.  The hardwood forest provides the essential nutrient source and produces tons of hardwood mass which include acorns, hickory nuts, and beechnut.  Big Chimney Forest is a hunter’s or a nature enthusiast’s paradise.

MINERAL RESOURCES

West Virginia is one of the states in the US that has two ownership titles, those being SURFACE RIGHTS and MINERAL RIGHTS. A title search for mineral rights ownership has not been conducted. All rights the owner has will convey with the property. A mineral title search could be conducted by a title attorney at the same time when the surface title search is being conducted.

BOUNDARIES AND SURVEY

The property is being sold by the boundary and not by the acre.

UTILITIES

Water:  City water at the road
Sewer:  Private septic system will need to be installed
Electricity:  Power is available at the road
Telephone:  Available at the road
Internet:  May be available at the road; also satellite companies such as HughesNet or Starlink
Cellphone Coverage:  Good

ACCESS/FRONTAGE

The property’s interior road connects directly to Odd Road.

ZONING

Raleigh County has some zoning and subdivision regulations. All prospective buyers should consult the County Government and also the Health Department for regulations regarding zoning, building codes, and installation of water wells and septic systems.

PROPERTY TYPE/USE SUMMARY

The property has been used as forestland in recent years.  There is a recently excavated homesite on the property, as well as the site of the old homestead.

(This is an estimation of current property use as determined from aerial photography.  It is made subject to the estimation of property boundaries and any errors in the interpretation of land use type from the aerial photography utilized.)

DEED and TAX INFORMATION

Deed Information: DB 5072 Pg. 5708
Raleigh County, West Virginia

Acreage: 72.18 acres +/-

Real Estate Tax ID/Acreage/Taxes:
Raleigh County (41), West Virginia
Slab Fork District (9)
Tax Map 16 Parcel 94; Class 3

2024 Real Estate Taxes: $645.88

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Raleigh County School District

(A listing of the many Raleigh County schools and colleges is available on the internet.)

Public Elementary School:
Ghent Elementary School

Public Middle School:
Shady Spring Middle School

Public High School:
Shady Spring High School

Private Schools: Greater Beckley Christian School (K-12), Mabscott Christian Academy (K-12), Saint Francis DeSales Catholic School (K-8), Victory Baptist Academy (K-12)

Higher Education:
West Virginia University (Beckley Campus); Appalachian Bible College (Bradley); Concord University (Beaver Campus); Bluefield State College (Beaver Campus); Erma Byrd Higher Education Center; Southern West Virginia Community College (Beckley Campus)

ABOUT THE REGION

Flat Top Mountain is located in southern West Virginia, a region now best known for its national parks and high-mountain scenery. The area is bounded to the north and south by the headwaters of the Bluestone and Guyandotte rivers. Coal mining attracted thousands of miners and their families to the region in the early 1900s. However, much of the coal was mined out by the late 1900s, and the area has since become a preferred destination for outdoor adventure and leisure residency. The US-460 and I-77 expressways bound the region to the east and west, providing easy access to interstate commerce. Princeton (population 5,798 in 2021) is the largest nearby city, a drive of some 35 miles away. Bluefield (population 9,499 in 2021) is an hour’s drive to the south. Beckley (population 17,024 in 2021) is an hour’s drive to the north.

HISTORY AND PREHISTORY

Long before settlers of European descent arrived, the region had been an essential part of a prehistoric travel route across the Appalachian Mountains between the Atlantic Coast and the Ohio Valley. Several important trails used by Native Americans for more than 12,000 years led across the low gaps on Flat Top Mountain. Among the most important was a trail that crossed the mountain about two miles northeast of the property, leading between the waters of the Bluestone and Guyandotte rivers. The Shawnee in the 1700s notoriously used the trail to raid Virginian settlements in the New River valley.

Through the 1800s, the Flat Top Mountain region was settled by families that established farms throughout the highlands. Their descendants still account for a large part of the local population. Walker, Mills, McKinney, Milam, Reed, Lusk, Graham, Shrewsbury, and Shrewsberry are all familiar names in the region. Many small farms followed the wagon road that led along the summit of Flat Top.

In the early 1900s, the pastoral nature of the region was interrupted by the discovery of rich coal seams, and in 1909, the Virginian Railway tunneled through Clark’s Gap, four miles southwest of the property, opening the region to a period of mining that would continue through recent decades. Small mining towns sprang up along the streams in the valleys below the highlands. Though mining continues in some areas, many former mining towns have become ghost towns and now attract tourists.

TOURISM & RECREATION

Winterplace Ski and Resort
Winterplace, a 15-minute drive, located in Ghent, West Virginia, offers nine lifts, 27 trails, night skiing and a snowtubing park. There are over 90 acres of skiable terrain for varying ability levels, as well as a summit elevation of 3,600 feet. Beginners can learn to ski or snowboard thanks to a top-notch ski school.

Winterplace Ski Resort

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve
America’s newest national park, the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve approaches within three miles of the property and has dramatically influenced the economic outlook for the region. Tourism officials estimate visitor traffic has more than doubled since it was established a year ago. The park may best be known as a destination for hiking, biking, rock climbing, and whitewater rafting, though the immediate area is highly regarded for fishing, hunting, and hiking. The Glade Creek is one of the most popular catch-and-release trout streams in West Virginia and is only 3.5 miles from the property. Grandview is one of the top visitor attractions in the park and affords spectacular views of the New River Gorge at its deepest and widest point.

New River from Thunder Buttress

Grandview (National Park Area)
One of the primary destinations in the new national park, Grandview has been attracting picnickers and sightseers for generations. Both the park and the adjacent community of Grandview are named for the spectacular views of the narrowing valley of the New River afforded from clifftop overlooks. The main overlook at Grandview and the nearby Turkey Spur overlook are among the most visited locations in the park. The summer outdoor dramas “Honey in the Rock” and “Hatfields & McCoys” have been attracting visitors to the park’s Cliffside Amphitheatre since 1974.

Little Beaver State Park
One of the most community-driven parks in the state park system, Little Beaver is a favorite local destination for fishing, hiking, biking, and camping. A drive of fewer than five miles from the property, it accommodates easy access to outdoor recreation when national park facilities may be crowded. The park includes 18-acre Little Beaver Lake, ideal for flatwater kayaking, and a 46-site campground open year-round.

Pavilion at Little Beaver State Park

Glade Creek Trails  (National Park Area)
Maintained by the National Park Service, the Glade Creek Trails system includes more than 15 miles of woodland trails that visit wetlands, waterfalls, and some of the most remote forests in the national park. Its southern trailhead is a drive of fewer than five miles from Old Grandview Road. Glade Creek is also a beloved trout stream, and its swimming holes are popular in summer.

Hatfield-McCoy Trails
The area is now a chief destination for outdoor recreation and leisure living. Hiking, biking, hunting, paddling, and off-road motor touring are now primary draws to the area. State-designated all-terrain vehicle (ATV) trails attract thousands of vacationers to the region annually. Three sections of the Hatfield-McCoys Trail System converge near the property. Trout fishing has also become a popular draw in the area, and the nearby Bluestone and Guyandotte rivers have become well-known paddling streams ideal for kayaking and canoeing. The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, the newest national park in the U.S., is a 45-minute drive east of the property. Winterplace Ski Resort, a 45-minute drive, attracts more than a million skiers annually.