Curtis Creek Spring, Old Fort, NC

2 people follow this spring.
Directions:

Description

There is a large rock face about 4-5 miles from where the road turns to gravel. There are pull outs on each side and piped spring on the right side. It’s popular with locals who you’ll likely find there filling up jugs as well.

Important! If you turn North onto FR 482 you will be in the South Toe River watershed and find the road impassable due to a landslide. Backtrack and go South from the Blue Ridge Parkway down FR 482.

Nearest Address

State Road 1722 which becomes Forest Service Road 482 upon entering Pisgah National Forest

Directions from Nearest Address

From East on 1-40 take the Old Fort exit and ascend Curtis Creek Road. From West take Bleu Ridge Parkway to FR 482 South

Vital Information

  • Fee: Free. Park Service Land
  • Access: Public
  • Flow: Continuous
  • TDS: N/A
  • Temp: N/A
  • pH: N/A

Hours Spring is Open:

24/7/365

GPS: N/A

Map Link: Curtis Creek Spring Map

Submitted by: Alec

Responses

  1. I’ve been camping nearby and have looked for this a few times while driving by. Today I finally found it, but it’s not functional anymore. It looks like a tree fell on the pipe, and then a boulder did too, and one of them broke it. There’s a piece of pipe laying next to the part that goes into the rock wall, and that part has no spigot, just an open end that has a boulder blocking access to the end of it, but even if it were accessible, there’s nothing coming out.

  2. I’ve been camping nearby and have looked for this a few times while driving by. Today I finally found it, but it’s not functional anymore. It looks like a tree fell and broke the pipe, and then a boulder

  3. Okay so I just got back from there and found it on a wim! From Asheville you can take the blue ridge parkway North until you get into The Pisgah National Forest. From there 428 South is not marked until you’re on it. If you find it you drive all the way down the windy dirt road very far past a few camp spots and keep a lookout on your left for a pvc pipe sticking out of the woods… OR you can take 70 North through Old Fort and turn left into Curtis Creek Campground. Drive about 7 or 8 miles up the road and the spring is on your right… The water looks and tastes great as mr. maximus said and the area is beautiful!

  4. Hey..We tried to find this a few weeks ago and got confused. Do you go all the way on 70 thru Old Fort into/towards Marion? Hubby thought we needed to turn left (coming from asheville) following the Pisgah National Forest signs (towards andrew’s geyser).

How to Collect Spring Water

Drinking pure spring water is one of the most important things we can do for our health. Our bodies are over 99% water at the molecular level, so water affects every aspect of our biology. Yet, not all water is created equal. Almost all the bottled spring water available is pasteurized for shelf stability, which neutralizes many of the powerful health benefits such as increased hydrogen, healthy probiotics, and crystalline structure. For more about why unprocessed spring water is the best water to drink, read this.

The best way to guarantee you are getting real unprocessed spring water is to collect it yourself. This is a short and simple guide filled with information about how to gather spring water. We will cover how to find a spring, how to collect the water, how to honor the spring, how to store the water properly and other tips.

FindASpring.org is the best resource for locating a spring near you. However, not all springs are on the map. First, check the map to see if there is a spring in your local area. If there is, look at the reviews and comments. Has anyone shared helpful information about flow rate or posted a water test result? Is the spring in a pristine area? Do a bit of research and make sure the spring is safe to drink from. If you have any doubt about the purity, don’t risk it and get a water test, HERE. If you don’t see a spring on the map in your area, there still might be some that aren’t listed yet. First, ask the older generation who have lived in your area a long time if they know. You can also ask people in your community who might already get spring water such as people at a health food store or at a farmers market. Another great option is to view A US forest service map, where many springs have been marked. You can view these maps through the Gaia GPS or All Trails hiking apps on your phone. The map overlay you want is USGS Topo. Not all are easily accessible or ideal for drinking, but some are and it can be a fun adventure to find them. We have found over half a dozen great springs this way.

Once you’ve found your spring, figure out how you are going to gather the water. Is it right on the side of the road and easy to access or do you have to hike to it? We recommend storing spring water in glass instead of plastic to preserve the purity of the water. It is better for the environment, your body, and the water. Even BPA free plastic has toxic chemicals that can leach into water and cause health issues. If you do want to use plastic for safety reasons when filling at the spring, we recommend transferring the water to glass as soon as possible. FindASpring is sponsored by Alive Waters, which offers beautiful reusable glass. They have a 2.5 gallon option, which is a convenient size for carrying that isn’t too heavy. They also sell handles that you can use to transport the jugs even more easily. If you have to hike to access the spring, we recommend putting the water jugs into an extra large backpack to hike the water out with ease. We use Osprey packs that hold 2 jugs each. You can also use a wheelbarrow or even a stroller depending on how easy a walk it is.

Filling 2.5 Gallon Alive Waters Jug

When you get to the spring, remember to first give back before you take. Springs are considered sacred in indigenous cultures around the world for their life giving water and also as a connection to the inner earth. A powerful and simple way to give back is to clean up. Is there any trash that needs to be collected? Could you move any dead leaves or sticks to improve the flow rate? Show up in service. Some other wonderful ways to give is with a moment of expressing verbal gratitude, singing songs to the water, offering the water an ethically sourced crystal, a feather, or some other physical gift. Flowers are a popular and beautiful thing to offer, but please be careful to source organic ones as most flowers from the store are sprayed with pesticides and can be toxic to put near a spring. Also, flowers can attract bugs as they decay, so it can be best to offer them to the flowing water directly or a little downstream from the spring head.

When gathering the water, fill the jug as close to the spring head as possible, never gather downstream. Be very careful as wet glass is extremely slippery. Make sure the lid is securely fastened. When transporting the spring water home, the jugs can sometimes slide around the car. Secure them in place or wrap them with towels or something so they don’t crash into each other.

How you store your spring water is essential. It is not pasteurized like spring water from the store, so it will start growing algae if left in direct sunlight. This is good because it means it’s alive! If the water you drink can’t even support the most basic life forms, how do you think it will support your body? Store your water in a cool, dark place such as a dark corner, pantry or closet. The fridge is ideal if you have room. Some people prefer to filter their water through a Berkey filter before drinking, but if the spring is pure, it’s not necessary. We drink our spring water completely unfiltered.

How long the water stays good for depends on how cold a temperature it’s stored at. Spring water is best fresh. We personally do not prefer to drink spring water past 2 weeks old. However, we know other people that will drink it at a month old. It’s great to get in a rhythm where you know how long the water lasts you and put your collection day on the calendar in advance.

I believe that water is calling us to reconnect with her in the deepest way, to gather our own water. Just like our ancestors did. Our ancestors didn’t have fancy water machines. They also didn’t create villages or settle where there was no water. Water was revered as the center of the community and the nodal point around which life could spiral out and take root.

Here’s to restoring the sacred connection with the waters of life.

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