Bear Canisters Required for Camping in Parts of Pisgah National Forest

posted in: Outdoors | 0

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

Collier Cove Nature Preserve Trip Report

posted in: Trip Reports, WNC Hiking | 1

I’d heard about some new trails on a Buncombe County property that I wanted to check out. So January 4, 2015, when I got the opportunity, I headed out there with the family. What we found was a nice little … Continued

Hickory Nut Gorge Offers New Hiking Trails

Throughout the last few years, hiking opportunities in the Hickory Nut Gorge area southeast of Asheville, NC have slowly been expanding. While locals have been hiking in the area for decades, there haven’t been a lot of publicly sanctioned trails, … Continued

No, the Forest Service is Not Planning to Charge You $1500 to Photograph the Wilderness

posted in: Indoors | 25

Put away the pitchforks, folks. After reading some of the recent horribly misleading media coverage of a proposal by the US Forest Service, you might think that members of the media (down to – and yes, including! – us lowly bloggers) are … Continued

Oskar Blues Annouces REEB Ranch

posted in: Outdoors | 0

Oskar Blues Brewery has officially announced that it is developing a long-rumored “Beer & Bike destination” in Western North Carolina, not far from its Transylvania County brewery near Brevard. Dubbed the “REEB ranch”, the 145-acre property –  formerly called Shoals Falls … Continued

North Mills River Trails Reopened

posted in: WNC Hiking, WNC Mountain Biking | 0

Most of the trails and roads which were closed for the Brushy Ridge logging project have reopened today, according to the National Forests in NC. The roads and trails were closed while logging took place in the area, and while … Continued

15 Miles of Multi-Use Trails Open Saturday at Lake James State Park

posted in: WNC Hiking, WNC Mountain Biking | 0

Western North Carolina is about to have yet another trail system for mountain biking at one of its beautiful mountain destinations! Lake James State Park will soon be open to bikes with 15 miles of new multi-use trail on the north … Continued

Black Mountain Trail Needs Your Help!

posted in: WNC Hiking, WNC Mountain Biking | 1

The lower section of the Black Mountain trail – below its northern intersection with the Thrift Cove trail – will be closed for at least two weeks while the “Big Dig 2014” trail work project gets underway. The project, which is being … Continued