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Planning a hike along the Blue Ridge Parkway or in the Pisgah National Forest? Heard about a place called DuPont State Forest that your buddy said was a great place to hike? Or just in the mood to browse through some photos of the mountains? Then relax and have a look around!

This site is your on-line hiking guidebook for the Mountain region of North Carolina, containing all of the information you need to make your next trip complete. Have fun browsing and hiking!

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We’re Social

Ok, so in the past, the sites in the WNCOutdoors.info network haven’t been among the most interactive sites on the Internet. That’s because we’ve spent all the available time we have enhancing the content and functionality of the site itself – not to mention visiting new places to share. In the mean time, all kinds [...]

Posted on March 9, 2010 11:18 pm

Trails in Dupont State Forest to be Temporarily Closed

Due to tree damage from the severe winter weather we’ve had in the last few months, and more potential erosion damage that could be caused as the frozen ground thaws and becomes soft, officials at Dupont State Forest have decided to close several trails starting tomorrow (March 6) until further notice. Some are closed to [...]

Posted on March 5, 2010 10:48 pm

Roan Mountain to be Closed for Construction

According to the Forest Service in Asheville, the main recreation area on Roan Mountain will be closed prior to June 6th this year, and again after July 7th, for road paving and trail work, as well as reconstruction of the restrooms in the Cloudland area. This narrow window of time for the area to be [...]

Posted on February 11, 2010 10:05 pm

Hike to the Waterfall on Hickory Branch

Instead of watching the super bowl, I hiked to the waterfall on Hickory Branch today, near the historic Curtis Creek area in the Pisgah National Forest. It was a beautiful winter day, and not only would I rather do just about anything but watch football, there’s not much I’d rather do than hike to a [...]

Posted on February 8, 2010 3:21 am

Trails Mixup

It turns out I had the Panthertown Valley trails mistakenly under the South Mountains State Park trailhead! I’ve corrected this, and added all the new official Forest Service trails in Panthertown Valley. Check ‘em out, and GPS maps of the trails are coming soon!

Posted on January 22, 2010 7:02 pm

Articles

Proposal to add 50,000 acres to Blue Ridge Parkway lands

According to the Asheville Citizen Times and the Times-News Online today, the Blue Ridge Parkway Protection Act has been introduced into the house, which would authorize $75 million to acquire high priority lands adjacent to the existing Parkway corridor. The goal of the bill, which is being introduced while the Parkway celebrates its 75th anniversary, [...]

Posted on January 26, 2010 6:13 pm

Visit to Catawba Falls

Catawba Falls is located just off of I-40 in the Pisgah National Forest, near Old Fort, in McDowell County. Despite its’ being on National Forest property, however, the falls has long since been off-limits to the general public due to the only reasonable access trail being on private property. But good news! Recently, the Foothills [...]

Posted on December 28, 2009 4:03 am

A New Battle Between Mt. Mitchell and Clingman’s Dome?

In response to my post about the new observation platform atop Mt. Mitchell, Allen said: “Now that the old 45 tower has been replaced by the observation deck on Mt. Mitchell, is a person standing on the Clingmans Dome tower in the Smokies at a higher elevation, or does the Mt. Mitchell deck still put you [...]

Posted on March 26, 2009 2:48 pm

How a Bear Made Me Sick

One fine Saturday in June, 2007, I decided to take a short hike up to the waterfall on Hickey Fork Creek. It’s a fairly easy hike, and I decided to leave my water in the car for this one. After 20 minutes on the trail I arrived at the falls, soaked in the scene for [...]

Posted on March 21, 2008 8:48 pm

A Call To Action: Hemlocks Threatened by Tiny Hemlock Wooly Adelgid

Update 8/7/07: Hemlocks which still appear to be healthy along the Parkway and Linville Falls are likely ones which have been chemically treated, rather than helped by the predator beetles. Hemlocks are dying rapidly where untreated or treated only by the predator beetles, and it appears that the biological control method will be ineffective. Since [...]

Posted on August 7, 2007 2:08 pm

Graveyard Fields Trail Renovation

A major trail re-construction and re-location project at Graveyard Fields will eliminate erosion, protect sensitive plant habitats, re-build a bridge washed out by the storms of September 2004, and provide a generally more pleasant hiking experience to visitors of one of Western North Carolina’s most popular recreation areas. The relocated trails are quite a distance from [...]

Posted on June 15, 2006 3:02 pm

WNC’s Forests Threatened by Exotic Diseases

Dogwood Anthracnose. Chestnut Blight. Butternut Canker. Gypsy Moth. Hemlock Wooly Adelgid. Beech Bark Disease. Oak Decline. Sudden Oak Death. Balsam Wooly Adelgid. Locust Miner Beetle… The list goes on and on. These threats, or potential threats in the case of Sudden Oak Death, are ravaging the forests of Western North Carolina and much of the Southern [...]

Posted on June 13, 2006 2:56 pm

Shortcutting Switchbacks Tramples Trillium!

WNC’s mountainous terrain and large tracts of public lands bode well to our recreational enjoyment, including various forms of backcountry travel such as hiking and mountain biking. And, of course, most of this travel occurs on trails. Ah, the trail. A path to a waterfall, a path to a view, a path to freedom and [...]

Posted on April 1, 2005 5:15 pm

Opinion & Personal

Waterfall Accidents An Unnecessary Tragedy

Update 7/23/2009: two more waterfall accidents happened just this week; luckily both individuals survived. A 14-year old boy fell off Triple Falls near Brevard while a 21-year old girl fell off Glen Falls near Highlands. This marks the second accident at Glen Falls this year. We wish both people a full and speedy recovery, and [...]

Posted on July 8, 2009 3:03 pm

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Hiking in Western North Carolina

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