onX and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) are committed to improving access to public lands for all outdoorsmen. The RMEF Layer in the onX Hunt App displays the location of RMEF Public Access Projects and associated access points.

Project Name: Maggie Valley
Location: Haywood County, NC
Access Point: 35.53854, -83.11872
Description: 1,925 acres bordering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in western North Carolina’s recently reestablished elk territory.

With more than 11 million visitors per year, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most-visited national park in the country. While the park itself provides ideal habitat for reintroduced elk, finding additional habitat in the surrounding areas can be difficult due to the splintered landscape and high potential for development.

Along with its partners, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation purchased five properties totaling 1,925 acres to help create the William H. Silver Game Lands. While North Carolina does not yet have an in-state elk hunt, recent meetings by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission have set the table for the possibility of a hunting season down the road. When this happens, hunters will have increased access opportunities as a result of efforts by the RMEF and its partners.