Officials provide update on MST
File photo
It’s been just over a month since Hurricane Helene brought widespread devastation to Western North Carolina and the neighboring states.
A clearer path toward recovery for the region and the Mountains to Sea Trail is forming.
A majority of the MST from Cherokee to Stone Mountain is on land adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The National Park Service (NPS) has opened three stretches of the roadway.
“Opening these additional miles of the Parkway in North Carolina is an important step forward, but much work remains,” said Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout. “We ask that visitors stay out of the Devil’s Courthouse area and all other closed sections, even on foot, for their own safety. Any public use behind closed gates, including hiking and biking, puts workers and visitors at risk.”
Due to the severity of the storm, conditions on park roads and trails are still evolving, and are expected to continue to change over the next weeks and months. Visitors should anticipate changing conditions and share their travel plans with others in advance. The NPS has not yet completed trail assessments and caution is encouraged for trail users who may experience hazards resulting from landslides, downed or leaning trees, wash-outs, and other damage. Exercise caution while visiting open areas, including trails.
While MST volunteers are ready and willing to assess and clear the MST on the NPS land, work along the Blue Ridge Parkway continues to be on hold. Officials expect to have guidance from the NPS very soon about when volunteers will be allowed back on the trail.
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The following areas are officially open, subject to the hazards described above:
• Segment 1 (Kuwohi to Waterrock Knob)
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including EB Miles 0.0-28.0; WB Miles 18.8-46.8
• The BRP from Milepost 423.2 to 469 (NC 215 to US 441), including EB Miles 28.0-46.8; WB Miles 0.0-18.8
• Segment 2 (Waterrock Knob to Pisgah Inn)
• Nantahala National Forest, Nantahala Ranger District, including EB Miles 20.8-35.1; WB Miles 28.5-42.8
• Pisgah National Forest, Pisgah Ranger District, including portions of the trail in EB Miles 36.0-63.2; WB Miles 0.5-27.6 (the trail meanders between the National Forest and Blue Ridge Parkway properties)
• The BRP from Milepost 411.8 to 421 (US 276 to Black Balsam), including MST Segment 2, EB Miles 46.6-57.0; WB Miles 6.7-17.0.
• The BRP from Milepost 423.2 to 469 (NC 215 to US 441), including EB Miles 0.0-42.3; WB Miles 21.4-63.6
• Note that the BRP between Mileposts 421 and 423.2 remains closed due to a significant landslide, and all entry, including on foot, on the Parkway and trails within the parkway corridor in this section is illegal. Although some of the MST in this stretch is on National Forest land, some is on BRP land.
• Segment 3 (Pisgah Inn to Black Mountain Campground)
• Pisgah National Forest, Pisgah Ranger District, including portions of the trail in EB Miles 3.4-18.1; WB Miles 53.4-68.1 (the trail meanders between the National Forest and Blue Ridge Parkway properties, and much of the trail on the National Forest is accessible only from the parkway)
• Segment 5 (Beacon Heights to Devil’s Garden Overlook)
• Blue Ridge Parkway from MP 285.5 (Bamboo Gap) to 305 (Beacon Heights), including EB Miles 0.0-31.0; WB Miles 53.9-84.9 However, the Boone Fork Trail, collocated with the MST at Segment 5 EB Miles 11.7-14.2, WB Miles 70.7-73.2, remains closed.
