In the past couple of weeks, the U.S. Forest Service has had to close backcountry campsites and issue warnings about bear activity in certain areas. Specifically:
Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness — specifically, the Haoe Lead, Stratton Bald, Hangover Lead and Hangover trails
Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee, where camping has been banned on the Appalachian Trail between Double Springs Shelter and the intersection with Backbone Rock Side Trail.
Pisgah National Forest along the Appalachian Trail, from Pisgah Grassy Fork Road, mile marker 245, to Max Patch Road, mile marker 253, including the Groundhog Creek Shelter.
The reason? Campers have been sloppy with their food, specifically with not storing it properly.read more
You can tell the hot days of summer are upon us when the night events start popping up at our State Parks. Such as:
Stars and Planets, Saturday, 9 p.m., Mayo River State Park, Mayodan. The Greensboro Astronomy Club lets you take a peek through their lenses to see what’s up in the sky above. More info here.read more
About 12 percent of the United States is protected as natural area. That’s roughly 456,000 square miles of the nation’s total land mass of about 3.8 million square miles.
Now, when most of us think of land set aside to protect nature, at least here in the Southeast, we think of National Parks, we think of National Forests, we think of State Parks. Yet nationwide those three entities only account for about 10 percent of total protected land. What about those remaining 3.3 million square miles?read more
We get so much from our trails in a year. Is it too much to ask that we give a little back on just one day? That day being this Saturday, June 5?
For a few decades now, the first Saturday of June has been National Trails Day. It’s a day when we celebrate our trails, sometimes by doing maintenance, sometimes by simply taking a hike. In North Carolina this National Trails Day, 15 events have been registered with the American Hiking Society, which sponsors the annual event.read more
OK, technically summer doesn’t begin until the summer solstice on June 20. But culturally in the U.S. summer always commences Memorial Day weekend and ends Labor Day weekend. (And yes, technically summer doesn’t officially end until the summer equinox, this year on September 22).read more
