History

• The area formerly known as Poplar Cove was dedicated July 30, 1936, as a living memorial to American poet and soldier Joyce Kilmer, who was killed in action during World War I. Perhaps Kilmer's best-known poem was "Trees," which began, "I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree."
  
  

Trees

• The memorial forest is full of poplar trees, some as big as 20 feet in circumference, as tall as 125 feet and as old as 450 years.
  
  

Trail

• The only access to the memorial forest is the Joyce Kilmer National Recreation Trail, a 2-mile, figure-eight loop. No motorized or mechanical vehicles are allowed.
  
  

Camping

• The memorial forest has no camping areas, but the 18-site Horse Cove Campground and the four-site Rattler Ford Group Campground are less than a mile from the trailhead. They are open from April through October.
  
  

Wilderness Area

• In 1975, the U.S. Congress designated an area of forest in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee--an area that now encompasses 17,394 acres and the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest--the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness.