WNCOutdoors.info Blog

Imagine going for a hike on a beautiful spring afternoon along the Mountains to Sea Trail near Asheville, coming around the corner, and seeing some other hikers on the trail up ahead. As you get closer, you look at the person’s face, and realize…it’s President Barack Obama?? And the fist lady?!? That’s exactly what happened to some folks along the Mountains to Sea Trail yesterday as Obama began his vacation with a walk in the woods.  Reports say they met about 5 other hikers along the trail. They looked to be having a great time, and it was beautiful weather, with temps in the 70′s, a light breeze, bright new spring growth and the dogwoods in full bloom. We hope they had a great time, and we’re glad they recognized outdoor activity in our mountains to be a great way to start a vacation in Asheville.

For more information on the trail they hiked, see our Short Hikes Near Asheville page on HikeWNC.info (specifically Craven Gap to Rice Knob/Ox Creek Road, which I believe is the section they hiked). We hope the White House staff found HikeWNC.info when researching places for the Obamas to hike on their trip!

Offical White House Photo of the Day by Pete Souza

Dillsboro Dam in the Tuckasegee River has been removed. It was a controversial project, but this is great news for whitewater enthusiasts and the ecology of the river. But it’s also good for those of us who love hiking and visiting waterfalls. Why? Because it means that eventually, releases of water from Thorpe Reservoir far upstream on the West Fork of the Tuckasegee should return flow to the now-dry High Falls.

High Falls used to be one of the more spectacular cataracts in the region, until the dam was built and diverted water around the falls to the powerhouse far downstream. Since then, it has been dry, or nearly so – with just a trickle of water flowing over it from tributary streams that joined the river below the dam. But as a part of its dam relicensing agreement with the Federal government, and to help mitigate the environmental impact of their dams, Duke Energy has agreed to start regularly releasing water over High Falls and down the West Fork of the Tuckasegee River again.

This will allow whitewater enthusiasts to enjoy running the rapids on this river, and restore some resemblance of a real river to the gorge. They’ve also agreed to build a trail and put-in at the base of High Falls. Of course, seeing the falls in high water will be a spectacular sight, as it once was, and this will certainly become a well-known attraction on the days the water is flowing. Let’s hope the final hurdles can be cleared quickly so we can all enjoy our river and waterfall the way it was meant to be!

Momentum in the Catawba Falls access issue has finally come to a head, with the recent sale of two parcels of property totalling 88 acres to the US Forest Service, officially making the access route to the falls public property, which literally took an Act of Congress, the 2010 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill.

For many years, visitors have accessed the falls on an old road over the tracts of private property. The falls themselves have been part of the Pisgah National Forest for years, but the only way to access them was over the private land. Although trespassing is never condoned, in this case it was generally not restricted. Luckily, the Foothills Conservancy was able to acquire the land after it went up to sale recently, and public access was immediately granted under County supervision. All along, the Forest Service had the tract listed as one of its top acquisition targets. Finally, the Forest Service has received funding  to buy the land.

Now, it is being widely reported that the Forest Service plans to build a larger parking area at the trailhead and improvements to the trail, including a footbridge over the fledgling Catawba River (more of a medium-sized creek this high in the mountains). This should make accessing the lower falls much easier, although there is no word on the steep, dangerous access to the upper falls. Until that part of the trail is improved, I still don’t really recommend it for most people, but this news marks an exciting chapter added to the book of public lands with spectacular natural features in Western North Carolina. All the more reason to get out on the trail!

I’m sure I speak for lots of people when I express deep gratitude to all the people who worked so hard for so long to make this possible. Conservation is a contentious issue, but I believe that time will prove what an important and wonderful asset this, and other similar efforts, have produced for the citizens of North Carolina and our country. Thank you, everyone!

Here are some references to the news stories mentioned. Keep in mind that these sites tend to deactivate their pages a short time after posting them:

Asheville Citizen Times – Public can access Catawba Falls

WLOS TV (Video Report)

Catawba Falls Trail Opens to the Public (Charlotte Observer)

Foothills Conservancy sells Catawba Falls trail property to U.S. Forest Service - McDowell News