An educational farm dedicated to teaching our community about regenerative agriculture.

North Carolina

4 reviews • Updated 9 months ago

The Mountain is an ecologically conscious retreat and learning center perched on a dramatic granite outcropping high above the beautiful Nantahala National Forest in Highlands, North Carolina. We offer group retreats and opportunities for outdoor recreation and learning, including a variety of seasonal youth programs and residential camps each summer. Our campus includes a lodge with sweeping mountain views, cabins and bunkhouses, a lake, an extensive network of trails, an old growth forest, and a farm. The farm is a two acre farm and food forest that supports the Mission of The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center. By providing educational opportunities for guests, growing food for our community, and conscientiously stewarding the natural world around us, the farm seeks to inspire people of all ages, transform lives, and build a more compassionate, connected world. Located at the entrance to our campus on sunny, open land, the farm consists of multiple field plots with rich soil, a small propagation greenhouse, a hoophouse for season extension, a composting area, a young food forest, abundant native and perennial landscaping, and a historic stable building used for poultry and tool storage. We farm with respect for the interdependent web of life, using regenerative farming techniques and permaculture principles, such as limited tillage, cover cropping, integrated pest management, composting, and mulching. The farm aims to preserve the health of the soil, water, and diverse ecosystems on our site in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. ----- WWOOFers will have their own rooms in our volunteer housing on-site, and will join our guests for meals when the dining hall is operating for programs and retreats. When no guests are on-site, we provide food for WWOOFers that they can prepare on their own in the shared kitchen in volunteer housing. -----

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Fruit or nut farming

Poultry farming

Wild foraging

Flower farming

Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas

Seed saving or production

Food justice / sovereignty

Methods or systems

Biological pest control

No-till farming

Permaculture

Regenerative agriculture

Host type

Nonprofit / Community

0.8 Hectares | 2 Acres

Accommodation

4+ WWOOFers

Bedroom

Campsite

Cabin / Mobile-home

Children not accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Vegetarian

Vegan

Length of stay

Weekend

Less than a week

1-2 weeks

3-4 weeks

Over a month

Shelley

Member since 2024

Languages spoken: English Response rate: 79% Response time: typically within 11 days

November 2025

Open

Planned visit

Closed

North Carolina

Reviews

Alex

United States • August 2025

I spent 10 weeks from June-August WWOOFing on this farm with Shelley as my mentor, and I love it so much that I have decided to extend my stay indefinitely. The work we do is truly aligned with WWOOF’s mission - I do not feel like an employee but a mentee. While we do work hard, there is consistently time for friendly conversation, sharing knowledge with each other, and breaks to respect our bodies’ limitations. Contrast that to my last farm job where hurting yourself was a sign you were doing a good job! Not here. Shelley has worked hard to create a culture where I felt safe to communicate anything that felt wrong so we can work together to correct course. Not to mention the support provided by the community present at The Mountain, which provides ample cafeteria-style meals, spaces to connect with nature, tools to explore artistic and musical creativity, and meet folks from many walks of life, who are generally welcoming, hospitable and incredibly kind. I should also mention that the methods we use to farm the land are chosen with great respect for the balance of the natural ecosystem. We are not just farming here but learning how to support mother nature’s natural processes such as soil microbiology, providing food and shelter for local wildlife, and reducing waste and pollution whenever possible. I am so grateful for my time here! <3

Sam

United States • July 2025

Had an absolutely wonderful experience with Shelly! The farm is absolutely beautiful and in a wonderful stage to keep growing and expanding. Shelly is a wealth of knowledge and I asked many questions. She provides value added workshops for the Retreat Center community like mushroom foraging, which I got to participate and learn from. We only worked 4 days a week at this stage and I learned to create a florida weave for tomato plants, seed okara, weed, water, and prepare products for the local farmer's market. I would have liked even more time in the dirt but I know there are plans to expand farm operations. The accomodations were excellent and comfort levels exceed most wwoofing locations. Volunteers and wwoofers stay in a dedicated, updated building with 2 restrooms, kitchen, central air, and about 5 separate bedrooms. There's a roughly half mile walk up the mountain to the dining hall where delicious food is served daily. I enjoyed interacting with retreat guests and campers. The location of the farm is incredible - thousands of feet up near the top of a mountain in the midst of the North Carolina temperate rainforest, with incredible views of 3 states, and rich biodiversity. Lots of waterfalls and trailes nearby to explore! It was an absolutely magical week and I'm very much looking forward to returning to a place that feels now like a second home!

Rachel

United States • April 2025

I began volunteering here back in late February, and I will be here until early May. I went through their website instead of through WWOOF so that is why the days are off. I have loved it so much and have had such an amazing experience and I wanted to share it with the WWOOF community so that others can be attracted to this beautiful mountain farm as well. We get to stay in the very clean housing next to the farm. The staff that work at associated Mountain are all such incredibly wonderful people that I feel comfortable living near and that I truly enjoy interacting with. People here are passionate, warm, inviting, accepting, and entertaining. I feel that I have made a deep connection to this place that will last and keep me wanting to come back to visit in the future. I arrived at a time when a new farm manager was taking over (Shelley) and the farm is having a fresh start. We have been laying some groundwork, fixing up the greenhouse after it was rocked from Hurricane Helene, pruned and mulched the berry bushes, gotten familiar with the land, planted some seeds, we weed the beds, and really, we just do what the farm needs each day. It is not stressful and feels very relaxed, but we still make a lot of noticeable progress. We get to eat buffet style up at the top of the Mountain on retreat days (absolutely delicious). I love it here. There was no better way I could have spent the last month.

Maya

United States • March 2025

We had an amazing time at this farm. Shelley and the rest of the staff are extremely friendly and accommodating, making the stay very enjoyable. The housing is nice & clean, with individual rooms for each wwoofer. The mountain is gorgeous, with unbeatable views and lots of hikes close by. I totally recommend going!