Normal may still be a ways off in some cases, but the recovery has been remarkably swift. From what I’d seen of Hot Springs, a town that I’ve been leading hiking trips to for years, I was certain it could be years before we would return to hike on the Appalachian Trail, which runs through downtown.

And yet come May, just seven months after Helene, I found myself in Hot Springs at the town’s reopening, a reopening that included a hike on a favorite stretch of the AT, from Tanyard Gap into downtown. Two weeks later I was back in the mountains, for a weekend of hiking in Panthertown Valley. And next weekend this celebration of mountain towns and trails will continue, with a weekend of hiking in Ashe County.

This will be the third of our Return to Western NC events, and by “our,” I mean the communities involved working with the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ Hometown Strong unit. Hometown Strong works to help communities in the state’s 78 rural counties in a variety of ways, including helping them promote their recreational assets. My day job is with Hometown Strong, and helping to organize these events is how I spend part of my time. Enough about that. Let’s talk about our next Return to Western NC hiking weekend, in Ashe County.

Ashe County, for the unaware, is in the far northwest corner of the state. The mountainous area is unique in that it’s home to the Amphibolite Mountains, steep and rugged mountains covered in dense forests of northern hardwoods, including a type of aspen and sugar maples that blaze orange come fall. It’s a different experience than you’ll get in the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests to the south. And because there’s significantly less public land in these mountains, the opportunities to hike here are limited. Which makes an event like this one on June 27 and 28 that much more special.

Three hikes are planned for the weekend:

Friday, June 27

Return to Western NC: Hike Paddy Mountain, 2:30 p.m., West Jefferson. Last year, the first segment of the nascent 40-mile Northern Peaks State Trail opened in West Jefferson. It was promptly closed by Hurricane Helene. But thanks to volunteer-led efforts, the trail has reopened, and we’ll get to hike it as part of our Return to Western NC weekend in Ashe County. Jordan Sellers with the BRC will lead this 3.6-mile loop hike, which utilizes long switchbacks to ease its way up Paddy Mountain, gaining nearly 350 feet in its first 1.3 miles. Passage is through a Rich Cove Forest. What’s that mean? Join us to find out. Learn more and sign up here.

Saturday, June 28

Return to Western NC: Hike Elk Knob State Park, 9 a.m., Todd. On this 4-mile out-and-back hike we top out on 5,520-foot Elk Knob, which offers incredible views to the north, of the Southern Appalachians in northern North Carolina and southern Virginia. And the 2-mile hike to the summit, gaining nearly 1,000 vertical feet, relies on well-designed trail to ease the impact of that elevation gain and to usher you safely through some of the mountain’s rockier sections. Learn more and sign up here.

Return to Western NC: Hike Pond Mountain, 2 p.m., Pond Mountain is a 2,900-acre game land made possible by the Blue Ridge Conservancy and the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. Stunning views dominate the 5,000-foot summit plateau, but so does water. According to the Blue Ridge Conservancy, the area got its name from surveyor Peter Jefferson (Thomas’s son), “…because of the many natural ponds that dotted the mountain’s high ridgeline. The historic ponds point to the mountain’s special significance as an important water resource. Several important streams and creeks originate on Pond Mountain, including Big Laurel, Ripshin and Big Horse Creeks, all of which flow into the New River, a National Heritage River and one of the oldest rivers in the world.” Learn more and sign up here.

In addition, there’s an outdoor concert Friday evening in downtown West Jefferson featuring the Whitetop Mountain Band, a popular family-based band with deep roots in mountain music. All the more reason to come up for Friday’s Paddy Mountain hike and make a weekend of it.

Learn more about these hikes, the concert, lodging/camping and more by going here.

See you in West Jefferson!

The post Return to Western NC with an Ashe Co. Hiking Weekend appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

The first weekend in November our GetHiking! group traditionally has a grand finale in Hot Springs, NC, hiking the Appalachian Trail from Garenflo Gap into Hot Springs on Saturday, and from Tanyard Gap into Hot Springs on Sunday. 

It’s a magical time of year: peak color has come and gone, and with it the masses of hikers who come for the color. Temperatures are in the low 50s, it’s typically a dry and sunny time of year (though one year we did have snow near Tanyard Gap) and there’s usually some lingering color. In addition to the hiking, we take advantage of Hot Springs’ hospitality, from an evening at Big Pillow Brewing, to buying gear we didn’t know we needed at Bluff Mountain Outfitters, to the apres hike soak in the town’s namesake hot springs. It’s a great way to cap a year of hiking.

Alas, we didn’t have a chance the to doff our cap in 2024. Hurricane Helene made a mess of the North Carolina mountains and seemed especially intent on wreaking havoc in Hot Springs. Such a mess that we wondered if we’d even be able to end 2025 in Hot Springs.

Turns out we will. Soon, in fact.

Hot Springs, in addition to its playfulness, can also take itself damn seriously. Ever since the rain stopped late last September, Hot Springs has been feverishly working to reopen. And it will May 2-3, with the Town & Trail Festival. 

Town & Trail is sponsored by the nonprofit ReBuild Hot Springs, formed to help businesses and residents get back on their feet. The festival will include live music, storytelling, vendors, a duck race, a Hiker Fashion Show, and more. It’s the “and more” that has me the most excited.

For the past seven months I’ve wondered about the condition of the trails in the area, especially the AT, which runs down main street. When I contacted event organizer Sonya Askew about the event wearing my day job cap as a rural advisor with the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ Hometown Strong unit, I asked if, a) any trails were open; and, b) if so, were there plans for guided hikes as part of the weekend. Yes, she said, a number of trails had been reopened. But no, they didn’t have any hikes planned yet.

“I can fix that,” I told her.

Actually, all I did was make a phone call, to Lindsey Barr, owner of Blue Ridge Hiking Co. Based in Asheville, the outdoor retailer and outfitter — founded by Jennifer Pharr Davis in 2008 — also has a bunkhouse in Hot Springs. “Sure,” Lindsey said, “we’d love to lead some hikes.” Blue Ridge is donating the services of four guides to lead the following hikes:

Friday, May 2

• 9 a.m. — Garenflo Gap into Hot Springs on the AT, 7 miles, trending downhill but with a climb or two in between. Moderate difficulty.
• 2 p.m. — Big Laurel River, 5.6 miles, a gradual downhill out, a gradual uphill back. Moderate difficulty.

Saturday, May 3

• 9 a.m. — Tanyard Gap into Hot Springs on the AT, 5.6 miles. Moderate difficulty.
• 2 p.m. — Lover’s Leap, 2 miles,. Moderate difficulty.

Each hike is limited to 8 hikers and there is a donation required for each hike of $50 ($25 for the shorter Lover’s Leap hike). There is also a $5 shuttle fee for the three hikes that require shuttles (Lover’s Leap is all hiking), and a $5 fee for U.S. Forest Service fees. Donations go directly to ReBuild Hot Springs.

If you’ve been itching to get back to the mountains to hike, this is a great way to start — and to help a community hammered by Helene. Learn more about each of the hikes and sign up by going here. And learn more about the Town & Trail Festival itself here.

I will be sweeping all four hikes and can’t recall being more excited about a weekend in the mountains. 

Hope to see you there.

The post A return to Hot Springs appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

The mountains of Western North Carolina in particular continue the long road to recovery from Hurricane Helene. But progress is being made: more than 600 roads already have been reopened by N.C. Department of Transportation crews and contractors, including I-40 near Old Fort and in downtown Asheville; I-26 in Henderson and Polk counties; U.S. 221, U.S. 321 and U.S. 421 in the Boone area; and,  U.S. 70 and U.S. 25 in Asheville. DOT reports, as of Tuesday, that nearly 600 roads remain closed, and in some areas traffic on roads that are open is restricted to recovery efforts. Also as of Tuesday, about 13,000 residents remained without power.

The good news is that many areas have recovered enough to begin welcoming visitors. And those visitors are crucial to the recovery effort: fall is a key tourist period in the mountains and and the dollars you, as a visiting hiker, bring play a role in the area’s recovery. 

Where is it safe — and appropriate — to visit? Some resources to help with your decision:

• VisitNC.com The state’s tourism bureau has created a website that that identifies key mountain communities identified by color: Red communities remain closed to visitors, but you can visit the green ones. Click on the open-for-business communities and you’ll find a link to the local tourism department  or chamber of commerce, where you’ll find information on what’s open and the challenges you may face. For instance, the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce site includes an Emergency Fall Leaf Looker’s Route map, which shows roads that are open and includes three “Reminders” that apply to any visit to the mountains this fall:
  • Fill up your gas tank before you leave home
  • Stick to the main highways listed
  • Bring a donation to drop off or volunteer

Also keep in mind that lodging is at a premium; with many rooms currently taken by emergency workers.

You’ll notice on the map that while the central mountains discourage visitors, the far western mountains are more open.

• Virginia is for Lovers The Virginia Travel site offers a one-stop resource page for visiting Southwest Virginia. Check it out here.
• DriveNC.com NC DOT’s road closure site is an essential read before heading to the high country. This is especially true for hikers, for while main roads are beginning to reopen, many of the secondary roads we use to reach remote trailheads are not. This is a mandatory check.
• Pisgah National Forest All of the Pisgah National Forest remains closed. You’ll find a list of locations and closed roads here. Many of our favorite places in North Carolina are on this list.
• Nantahala National Forest The far western part of the state wasn’t as severely hit and that shows by the closures list dated Oct. 11. With a handful of exceptions, the Nantahala is open. Learn more here.
• Appalachian Trail You can find a current rundown of closures here. Basically, the AT through the Pisgah is closed (as of Oct. 15), but it’s open in Tennessee’s Cherokee National Forest. Trouble is, the AT winds in and out of the Pisgah and Cherokee north of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In Virginia, the AT is closed to the south but begins to open around Grayson Highlands, with advisories for storm damage and limited emergency services. Find an updated rundown here.
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Portions of the park remain closed, including US 441/Newfound Gap Road — but not because of Helene. That road was closed briefly because of forecast snow and ice. Learn more here.
• North Carolina State Parks. All NC State Parks west of I-77 remain closed, and will be at least through the end of October. Details here.
• Virginia State Parks. Portions of the New River Trail and Claytor Lake State Park remain closed; Grayson Highlands State Park has reopened but has certain restrictions. Learn more here.

Important note: Just because a town may be welcoming visitors that doesn’t necessarily mean the nearby trails are open. Aside from the instances indicated above, you’ll need to do additional inquiring for trail specifics.

The post The latest on visiting WNC appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

“In the coming weeks and months, we will be surveying the trail and assessing damage, but trail restoration is a very low priority in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis facing western North Carolina … it is likely that sections of the trail will remain closed for a significant length of time.”

Trails are a low priority in the recovery scheme of things. An incredible amount of work needs to be done to get the communities of WNC back up and running. But when the time comes for trail restoration, we need to be ready to tackle a big job.

How big? Consider the case of the statewide MST. “As a result of the storm,” Laurenz wrote, “the entire North Carolina section of the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed. The MST from Kuwohi [formerly Clingman’s Dome] through Stone Mountain State Park should be considered closed and highly dangerous. This is roughly a third of the entire route of the trail.”

A third of the entire 1,125-mile MST.

When the time comes, the land managers responsible for our trails will need your help. The MST has already set up a form for volunteers who wish to be part of the effort; you can fill it out here. “There will be a need for sawyers,” Laurenz wrote, “those who can clear trail and rebuild it, those who can oversee work crews, but also for those who can help support the volunteers.”

Other land managers will be in a similar position.

Take the Appalachian Trail, for instance, which is overseen by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The ATC is “part of a unique cooperative-management system, working with numbers of local, state and federal partners to ensure greater protections for the Trail.” Key to the AT’s health are the hiking clubs that help maintain it. In Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia, there are a dozen hiking clubs that each maintain a section of the AT. These clubs also maintain other trails in their regions; their impact on reviving not just the AT but many other mountain trails is will be huge. 

Below are links to these 12 clubs; click on the link(s) you’re interested in to learn more about the clubs and their volunteer activities. Note: Join the club and you’ll be the first to know when these opportunities arise.

• Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club
• Tidewater Appalachian Trail Club
• Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club
• Outdoor Club at Virginia Tech
• Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club
• Piedmont Appalachian Trail Hikers
• Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club
• Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club
• Carolina Mountain Club
• Smoky Mountains Hiking Club
• Nantahala Hiking Club
• Georgia Appalachian Trail Club

You might be surprised by the number of trails you hike that are owned/managed by land conservancies. They, too, will need your help both in repairing their damaged trails. Click the link(s) below for more information.

• Conservation Trust for North Carolina
• Blue Ridge Conservancy
• Conserving Carolina 
• Catawba Lands Conservancy
• Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina
• Mainspring Conservation Trust
• New River Conservancy

North Carolina’s State Parks will also need a hand. Volunteers for State Park restoration will be coordinated through the Friends group for that park. Those groups include:

• Friends of Chimney Rock State Park
• Friends of Crowders Mountain State Park
• Friends of the Fonta Flora State Trail
• Friends of Gorges State Park
• Friends of High Country State Parks (Elk Knob, Grandfather Mountain, Mount Jefferson, New River state parks)
• Friends of Lake James State Park
• NC High Peaks Trail Association (Mount Mitchell)
• Friends of South Mountains State Park
• Friends of Stone Mountain State Park
• Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail
• As we become aware of specific volunteer opportunities, we will post them here on the GetGoingNC website and on our Facebook page.

The opportunities to help rebuild our trails will come, but as the MST’s Laurenz notes, that’s “a very low priority at this point.”

Be patient. The time to rebuild will come.

The post How (and when) to help rebuild our mountain trails appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

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.

* * * 

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

• North Carolina State Parks 
• Virginia State Parks

National forests

• Nantahala National Forest
• Pisgah National Forest 
• George Washington & Jefferson National Forests

The post Let the mountains recover appeared first on GetGoing NC!.