Coming Summer 2025
About Us
Welcome to Grier Village - the new home of the Cabins at Copper Ridge, the G5 Workforce Development Hub, Camp Grier, the G5 Trail Collective, Pisgah Productions, Tanawha Adventures, and so much more.
Grier Village, is a vision brought to life by the team at Camp Grier to be a sustaining force for the Old Fort trail system, a hub for outdoor recreation workforce development, and a nexus of opportunities for a new generation of outdoor professionals and enthusiasts.
Our mission is threefold: to provide a space that fosters learning and growth, create resources to maintain the trail system in Old Fort, and contribute meaningfully to the local communities through equitable and inclusive opportunities.
Set to open in 2025, Grier Village will be a beacon of adventure, a hub for inspiration, and a catalyst for change.
Investing in Change
Grier Village will be the first outdoor recreation nonprofit-impact investment project of its kind. The profits generated from Grier Village will be channeled into meaningful initiatives designed to leave a lasting impact:
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Trail System Sustainability: Our financial contributions will help sustain and expand the trail systems in Old Fort, ensuring they remain accessible and enjoyable for all.
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Workforce Development: By investing in the outdoor recreation workforce, we aim to create more job opportunities, provide retail space for local entrepreneurs, and support a new generation of outdoor professionals.
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Scholarships for Outdoor Experiences: We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to experience the wonders of the outdoors. Through our scholarship programs, young people will gain access to outdoor adventures and educational programs.
Lodging For Purpose
Your stay will make a difference! Visitor Lodging at Grier Village will be used to sustain the Old Fort Trail System and to provide opportunities for youth and young people to experience the outdoors.
Workforce Development
Grier Village will provide student housing in partnership with McDowell Tech's workforce development center along with additional classroom spaces and meeting spaces so a new generation of outdoor professionals to gain access to the outdoor recreation industry.
Local Business Development
Grier Village will also provide community and commercial retail spaces for local events and local entrepreneurs to start or expand a business in the outdoor recreation economy.
Old Fort
Old Fort is rich in history and topography. Once named "Catawba Vale"— a name which acknowledges the Indigenous Catawba people who, alongside the Cherokee, inhabited and stewarded the lands in and around Old Fort prior to European colonization. The town's name was later changed to Old Fort to reflect its history as a Revolutionary War outpost. The construction of the Western North Carolina Railroad in the wake of the Civil War, built predominantly using the labor of unjustly imprisoned Black men, opened the region to increased travel and trade. Learn more about Old Fort's history from our partners at UNC-CH.
Today, Old Fort continues to be a diverse and vibrant small town on the rise. Old Fort is located on the Blue Ridge Escarpment; an area where the Black Mountain Range meets the Foothills. This area is rich in biological diversity and topographic relief given the sudden rise from 1,477 ft in Old Fort to 6,684 ft at Mt. Mitchell (the highest point on the East Coast) in just 10 linear miles. Old Fort is also surrounded by tens of thousands of acres of public land and natural attractions like Catawba Falls. This combination of access to public lands, natural attractions, and topographic relief make Old Fort a perfect basecamp for outdoor recreation enthusiasts and has led to Old Fort being called the Blue Ridge's Next Great Trail Town by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine and listed as one of the 23 Places to Visit in 2024 by Outside Magazine.
News
Join Us On the Journey
Phase I of Grier Village is set to open in Summer 2025. This is just the beginning of our journey, and we invite you to be a part of it. Stay tuned for updates and learn how you can contribute to a brighter, more sustainable future.