Storm Related Updates
Update October 5 5:00 pm All of the Pisgah National Forest sites have reopened, and the Blue Ridge Parkway is open again as well. Chimney Rock State Park is open again, but it looks like the trails in DuPont State … Continued
Panthertown’s Cold Mountain Trailhead to be Closed, Expanded
Edit: As of August 7, the parking area is finished and open again. Enjoy! Panthertown Valley’s Cold Mountain trailhead, providing the best access to some of the area’s favorite features such as Schoolhouse Falls, will close on Monday morning for … Continued
Observation Deck Added at Toms Creek Falls
The Forest Service in NC announced completion of trail and parking lot improvements at Toms Creek Falls, a beautiful waterfall in the Grandfather ranger district of Pisgah National Forest including the installation of an accessible observation deck. Since the Falls … Continued
Trip Report: Pink Beds and Waterfall on Barnett Branch
On Sunday, May 3, 2015, we headed out for a family hike in the Davidson River area of the Pisgah National Forest. We were looking for a moderate, family-friendly hike that woudn’t take too long (since — after all — … Continued
Tsali User Group Schedule is Changing
For the first time I can remember, the schedule for which users can use which trails at the Tsali Recreation Area, located on Fontana Lake near Bryson City, NC, is changing. The press release says the schedule will be posted … Continued
Crabtree Falls Campground Re-Opening in 2015
The National Park Service has announced its 2015 Spring/Summer facility schedule, which confirms that the Crabtree Falls campground will reopen on May 1, 2015! The campground has been closed since the end of season in 2012 due to budget cuts. … Continued
Panthertown Valley Hike: Blackrock Overlook and Granny Burrell Falls
I have been meaning to check out the Carlton’s Way trail on the north side of the Panthertown Valley, a recent addition to the list of official trails in the valley and one I’d not been on yet. It fit … Continued
Bear Canisters Required for Camping in Parts of Pisgah National Forest
Oh, and the Graveyard Fields area is closed to overnight camping temporarily, too! The US Forest Service has announced a temporary closure of the Graveyard Fields area to overnight camping due to bear activity in the area. This isn’t unusual … Continued
Shope Creek, Revisited – For Even Bigger Surprises
In a post last week, I shared some small “discoveries” my family and I made while hiking in the Shope Creek section of Pisgah National Forest near the Riceville community east of Asheville. Ever since that hike, I couldn’t stop … Continued
Shope Creek Offers Small Surprises
Saturday, I found myself on one of those hikes that has no preparation, no particular destination, nor even an expectation of what I might like to find. I took the family out to the Shope Creek section of Pisgah National … Continued