A new purchase will preserve a tract of land that stretches from property of Grandfather Mountain to Price Park. The N.C. Natural Heritage Trust Fund announced that they will close on the $1.13 million purchase of 94 acres on Backbone Ridge, a ‘natural heritage’ area. Trails take hikers to spots that show off the rare plants and old-growth forest of the area, visible from the Blue Ridge Parkway and Grandfather Mountain.  The conservation trust fund is also moving forward with a plan to protect an additional 159 acres of Backbone Ridge as Phase 2 of the project. The second tract is not as large as had been hoped, with funds from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund suffering some budget cuts.  82 fewer acres will be included in the second area due to those cuts. The Backbone Ridge is about 4 miles from Blowing Rock, and shares about 9.6 miles of boundary with the Pisgah National Forest.