WNCOutdoors.info Blog

The US Forest Service has issued a decision regarding the trail naming and use designations within Panthertown. Most of the trails themselves remain uncharged, however, as a lot of the maintenance budget was lost and that project was mostly scrapped. Volunteer efforts are still underway to maintain the trails, though. Signage will probably be updated to reflect the changes and we’ll get the changes made to our trail listing soon. However, until it’s all said and done, expect a bit of confusion and treat the area like you would a wilderness if you’re hiking into the interior areas there. (Short trips to, say, Schoolhouse Falls or the falls on Frolictown Creek shouldn’t really be an issue though for families and those with any hiking experience).

The forest service has released a nice official map of the area showing trail names, landmarks, and uses. Hikers will notice little impact. The main impact to mountain bikers in the area is the closure of the main Panthertown Valley trail to bikes from near Schoolhouse Falls up to near the falls on Frolictown Creek. There is a decent by-pass, though, and we’ll get our maps updated to reflect this soon!

According to an article in the Asheville Citizen-Times (which I won’t link to anymore since they delete their articles from their web site after a few days), the Blue Ridge Parkway between the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area will be reopening (albeit 1 lane at the landslide site) on May 15. The official word to the public from the National Park Service is “Late Spring 2009″, so I expect that date is subject to change.  This is great news – lots of trails along that section have been inaccessible for the last two years. We will let you know when the actual reopening takes place!

As part of the new maps initiative, all trails, hikes, and rides on WNCOutdoors.info will eventually be GPS-mapped and all the GPS data will be available for download. Right now, a number of trails in the Pisgah National Forest, as well as all of the Tsali trails, have GPS-based maps. As time goes on, details about how each trail’s GPS data can be accessed (as well as updated) on the sites will be refined and finalized, and much more data will be added.

For now, here is a view of all the trails for which we have GPS data in WNC. The map will be displayed in Google Maps. You can download the KML by clicking “View In Google Earth” by clicking the link in the upper-right hand corner of the page. You can get this data into your GPS unit by saving a trail or Hike/Ride as an individual KML file, and converting that to a format your GPS understands with GPS Babel, which is a great, free program.

The data is all original, produced solely by WNCOutdoors.info. It is hand-drawn in Google Earth, and then compared to (usually multiple) GPS tracks, official Forest Service GIS data, USGS topographical maps, satellite and aerial imagery, other available maps, and memory of the trail in relation to natural features for accuracy. This means that the routes shown represent what we feel is a general consensus of where that trail actually is on the ground. It is mainly intended for the purposes of displaying maps, and as with all maps and GPS data, it should not be relied upon for navigational purposes (without a certain, boulder-sized?, grain of salt). Excellent GPS units and even the most accurate private and government map sources can be slightly off, out-of-date, or just plain wrong in their depictions of trails! However, the process used to map these trails should produce a more accurate representation of our trails than many sources that have been available in the past.

The data is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. This means you can do whatever you want with it, as long as you attribute WNCOutdoors.info. Be sure to let us know if you have suggestions, want to make corrections, or have other comments about the maps and data. Enjoy!

A “beta” of a new map interface using Google Maps is up and running for the Davidson River Area (link). The new maps allow zooming, panning, various base layers (such as Satellite, USGS Topos, and the excellent new Google Terrain view). With the new Google maps you can:

• Zoom in and out, and scroll seamlessly across the entire region
• Swap out the base imagery and map layers
• Mouse over a trail to hilight it (helps you see individual trails in a network)
• Click trails and placemarks for additional information and links

The major drawback to this interface is that it’s not very printable. So all Best Hikes and Rides will continue to be mapped separately, which can be printed out and taken with you when you go.

The new Google maps are powered by a database. I’ll eventually get all the trails in there – but right now it has just a small number of them. Trail data will eventually be downloadable via KML, GPX, and other GPS- and GIS- formats. (For now, here’s a Google Earth .kmz of every trail I have). Trail data is taken from a variety of sources, including USFS GIS data, spot-checked with satellite views and other published maps, freely available GPS maps that people post on their hikes and rides, as well as memory of the trail in relation to the terrain.

Be sure to send us feedback as to how you like the new maps (and of course if you notice any errors)!

The Forest Service has installed gates on FR 1206 and the road is completely closed to all uses, including hiking and mountain biking. Originally, only FR 476 leading to the South Mills River trail was closed, but due to individuals snooping around the closed area, the FS has expanded the closure area.

This all started when some crazy felon booby-trapped his campsite/hideout a while back (find out more about that here). The Forest Service had planned on a prescribed burn eventually in the area to remove udergrowth anyway, and decided that might help them expose any potential “issues” that might remain. But it’s too wet to burn right now, so until the Officials are convinced that there’s no further danger to the public, the area will remain closed.  This cuts off access to a lot of trails in the area, including Pink Beds, Mountains to Sea Trail, Pilot Cove, Slate Rock, Laurel Moutain, Pilot Mountain, and others.

You can find the offical closure notice here.

The Forest Service has completed rebuilding the bridge over the Davidson River at the Daniel Ridge trailhead. It’s a neat, steel and wood arch bridge which is wider, higher off the river, and should provide many years of flood-proof access to this neat backcountry area. (Looks like it’ll provide access to heavy equipment and logging trucks, too, though, so that might be in the area’s future). Here’s how it turned out:

It looks like the City of Asheville is finally going to get its first mountain biking trail system! Work has begun at the new Richmond Hills park, where a new network will be developed. This project was headed up by Mike Brown, Board of Directors for Pisgah Area SORBA. Thanks to all who were involved in getting this project into the ground!

Volunteers are needed, and this is about the closest to town as you will get as far as an opportunity to build trails. Get more information on the Pisgah Area SORBA web site.

The State of North Carolina agreed to purchase Grandfather Mountain Monday, securing the conservation status of one of the State’s most recognized and cherished landmarks. This marks the second acquisition of a high-profile, privately-owned landmark in recent years (the last being Chimney Rock) and will bring the State’s total park count to 34. Many hiking trails grace the beautiful slopes of the mountain, bordered by the Blue Ridge Parkway and Pisgah National Forest. More information can be found on the Division of Parks and Recreation’s web page.

As another round of logging activity takes places in the Bent Creek area, more trails and roads will be closed. Fortunately, most of the activity takes place to the North of the favorite riding areas.

Rice Pinnacle Road and North Boundary Road will be closed during the week until 5:30 PM each day. This closure is expected to last 5 – 8 weeks. The road will be open on weekends and holidays, but watch out for construction equipment and rough spots. Work will be to “daylight” the road (clear overhanging trees), re-grading and dropping gravel. While the road is closed, the only access to the upper end of the Green’s Lick trail will be out-and-back via the same path.

Be sure to check out the notices posted at trailhead kiosks in Bent Creek as well.

Construction on the new bridge over the Davidson River at the Daniel Ridge trailhead is complete, and the Forest Service has officially re-opened the trail. This is a great loop, or addition to other loops in the area, so go give it a try!