In 2002, the town of Canton’s Board of Alderman approved a conservation easement for the Rough Creek watershed draining parts of the Newfound Mountains, which the town owns. Now, they have endorsed a trail to be built for hiking and mountain biking through the watershed. (more…)
The NC state downhill championship race will be held August 18th at Wolf Ridge Ski Area in Madison County, about 45 minutes north of Asheville. Get more information…
Woody Keen, of Trail Dynamics, Inc., writes about the importance of contributing to trail maintenance efforts and how complaints about trails being easier or less technical after repairs might not be in mountain bikers’ best interests. Read more in this post on MTBR.com…
Over 50 dedicated volunteers helped with construction on the Wolf Branch Trail in Bent Creek on Saturday, June 2 - National Trails Day. Work included grading for drainage and the construction of 4 new, sturdy wooden bridges which eliminated some muddy, technical creek crossings. Come out and give the new trail a ride!
All trails within the Bent Creek area which were closed for logging are once again reopened. Work will now begin to restore the trails which were temporarily converted to roads to a trail-like status. This will be a long process, but riding conditions on them should start to improve quickly. Watch out for new sunny openings on hot summer days (plan on hitting them going downhill).
As reported in this Asheville Citizen Times article, more greenways are envisioned for Western North Carolina - including connections to Hendersonville, Brevard, Dupont State Forest, and Tennessee from Asheville. But don’t hold your breath. Only 6 of 29 miles of greenways planned for the city of Asheville are on the ground, and they’re short and disconnected. Let’s finish what we already have planned first before dreaming that big!
Trails and roads will be closed due to logging and research activity at Bent Creek in the upcoming months. Find more information on the Bent Creek Trailheads page.
A 245-acre proposed logging project on Case Camp Ridge, in the Davidson River area between the base of Looking Glass Rock and the Blue Ridge Parkway, will likely become an eyesore in addition to a headache for recreationalists as trails are closed. Get More Information.
The National Forest finishes some much needed improvements to trails in Bent Creek, including several minor re-routes and the addition of several parking areas. Find out more on the Bent Creek Trailheads page.
Conservation Road, the most convenient route from High Falls to Bridal Veil Falls in Dupont State Forest, has once again been gated and blocked. DuPont corporation, the Forest’s namesake, has once again taken over the industrial facility in the heart of the State Forest for the purpose of cleaning up the polluted site. Until this is finished, and the remainder of the land is transferred to the State, the road will likely remain blocked. Here is a good article about this in the Hendersonville News. It discusses impacts to forest visitors and a possible negotiation to reopen the road within “months, not years”.