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As many recreational areas across Western North Carolina are preparing to close ahead of the snow and ice storm forecast for the region this weekend, one forested area plans to remain open — for now.
The North Carolina Forest Service in Henderson and Transylvania counties plans to keep DuPont State Recreational Forest open despite the severe weather forecasts.
The storm is expected to hit Western North Carolina on Saturday, Jan. 24, bringing hazardous ice in the form of snow, sleet and freezing rain. Days of freezing temperatures following the storm may prolong the hazards, making for a risky Monday, Jan. 26, morning commute in the region.
Power outages are also expected in many areas as ice accumulates on tree limbs and power lines; the outages may last for several days.
“At this time, there are no plans to close DuPont State Recreational Forest. If a decision is made to close DuPont, we’ll release that through our (public information officers) in Raleigh,” North Carolina Forest Service Forest Supervisor Ruthie Edwards told the Times-News in a Jan. 23 email.
Downed trees top the list of factors that might close trails to visitors and keep them closed for days, because getting saw crews into the woods is difficult and time-consuming, Sara Landry, executive director of Friends of DuPont Forest, told the Times-News Jan. 23.
If a trail is closed, it will be closed for all uses, she said.
DuPont is one of the most highly visited areas of the North Carolina Forest Service. It contains more than 80 miles of roads and trails for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and accessing numerous waterfalls.
Even if trails aren’t closed immediately, she expects they might be closed days after the storm, when the snow and ice begin to melt, she said.
That may be counterintuitive, but it’s because hiking, biking or horseback riding on wet trails causes a lot of damage, Landry said.
“It destroys them,” she said.
Single-track trails farther out in the woods might also be closed longer or more readily than two-track forest roads, she said.
“They’re a little bit more susceptible to the elements,” she said.
She said all that is also true of the nearby Holmes State Education Forest.
“If folks do find their way to the forest, they should definitely come prepared and keep in mind that the foresters aren’t going to be able to get there” quickly to rescue them in a worst-case scenario, she said.
“Don’t put yourself in a dangerous situation for no reason,” she said.
Find the state Forest Service’s guidance on recovering from storms and wildfires and keep an eye out for updates on trail closures on its website.
Many trails in Nantahala and Pisgah national forests will be closed preemptively ahead of forecast winter weather.
“Snow and ice from the winter weather system bearing down on North Carolina is anticipated to create hazardous and unsafe conditions across several areas of the state’s four national forests, particularly at higher elevations,” the U.S. Forest Service said in a Jan. 23 news release.
- On the Pisgah National Forest
- FSR 467 (Hurricane Gap)
- FSR 982 (Mortimer-Piedmont)
- FSR 210 (Roses Creek)
- FSR 187 (Maple Sally)
- FSR 197 (Raven Cliff)
- FSR 469 (Armstrong)
- FSR 479 (Bent Creek)
- FSR 5000 (Wash Creek)
- FSR 1206 (Yellow Gap)
- FSR 477 (Avery Creek)
- FSR 475 (Davidson River) — between Cove Creek and Gloucester Gap
- FSR 475B (Headwaters)
- Pisgah Visitors Center (Saturday, January 24 only)
- On the Nantahala National Forest
- FSR 340 (Fires Creek)
- FSR 423 (Tatham Gap)
- FSR 440 (Tuni Gap)
- Whitewater Falls
“Additional closures may occur prior to the weather system moving through the area. While not all roads in the national forests will close, Forest Service roads are generally not plowed or treated with de-icing agents, making it hazardous to travel upon them if unprepared. Do not attempt to open closed gates across any Forest Service road,” it said.
George Fabe Russell is the Henderson County Reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News. Tips, questions, comments? Email him at [email protected].
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