Wondering where you might be able to hike in the mountains this weekend?
Nowhere. At least not in North Carolina and southwestern Virginia. For one, you’d be hard-pressed to find a trail that’s passable. More on that in a sec.
The main reason you shouldn’t hike in the mountains this weekend: You’ll only be in the way.
Most of the roads in western North Carolina remain closed, and of those that are passable, use is restricted to emergency vehicles and the recovery effort. Gas is still in short supply and what gas there is is desperately needed by locals. Same for food and water. Rule of thumb for North Carolina: avoid travel west of I-77.
Then there’s the matter of the trails themselves.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, which oversees the AT including its passage through four heavily affected states — Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia — reports the following as of Tuesday:
- The AT between Springer Mountain, Georgia, and Rockfish Gap, Virginia. Or the 846.6 southernmost miles of the trail, is closed.
- The Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests in North Carolina are closed.
- The Blue Ridge Parkway and its associated trails in North Carolina, closed.
- All North Carolina State Parks west of I-77 are closed.
- In Virginia, 5 state parks are completely closed, 4 state parks are partially closed.
- Much of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closed or entry is discouraged.
- Some trails in Shenandoah National Park are closed, travel is discouraged on others.
What this means is, it will be a while before we will be able to hike in the mountains again. In fact, your best bet for a visit in the near future may well be as a volunteer to help clear trails. But that could also be a while.
For the foreseeable future, focus on your favorite trails in the Piedmont. Fall is unfolding and the region is full of great hikes. As fall advances, head to the coast and coastal plain, an often overlooked fall hiking destination.
As for what you can do now to help your favorite mountain hiking destination? Think about the place you most love to hike in the high country, the place that has given you so much over the years. Then Google the various options for helping that community. You won’t have to look hard.
For instance, every November our GetHiking! crew spends a weekend hiking the Appalachian Trail out of Hot Springs. We base camp out of the Hot Springs Resort & Spa, which is along the French Broad River and was hard hit. The town of Hot Springs, a two-minute walk away, was likewise hit extremely hard. When we checked the resort’s Facebook page, it said the best way to help the town is by donating to the Friends of Hot Springs Library. Which is what we’ve done.
When the mountains reopen, we will return full force. But not until then.
About the photo: The photo above was taken on the AT at Lover’s Leap, just above the town of Hot Springs. We won’t be there this fall, but hopefully next.
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Trail status
Keep tabs on your favorite areas by checking in with the appropriate land manager.
National parks
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Shenandoah National Park
- Blue Ridge Parkway
- Appalachian Trail Conservancy
State parks
National forests