Wilson Creek starts atop Grandfather Mountain, 100 yards above the Blue Ridge Parkway. As headwaters of the 23.3-mile mountain stream rush through the Blue Ridge Mountains, Wilson Creek drops over 85 feet per mile creating dangerous rapids ranging from Class II to V and at one point, it drops 200-feet into a deep gorge of granite bedrock.
The wilderness area consists of 49,0000 acres, including U.S. Forest Service land and private land held in conservation. This land is managed by the USFS, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, and Caldwell County. Access to this area is provided by Brown Mountain Beach Road, which in most areas is a single-lane gravel road.