The U.S. Forest Service has opened some, but not all, recreational areas in the Clinch Ranger District and Mount Rogers National Recreation Area.
Clinch Ranger District Area
The following have reopened:
- All roads and trails except the ones noted farther below
- High Knob Observation Tower
- Devils Fork Trail Head
- Devils Fork Bathtub
- Hanging Rock picnic site
- Lake Keokee picnic site
- Phillips Lake picnic site
- Pound Launch boating site
- Phillips Creek Launch boating site
- Wise Launch boating site
The closure remains in effect for:
Trails:
- Forest Service Trail #216, Guest River Gorge Trail past the first bridge, closed due to safety concerns until further condition assessment can be completed
- Forest Service Trail #211, Bark Camp Lake Trail; closed due to safety concerns until further condition assessment can be completed
- Forest Service Trail #401, Chief Benge Scout Trail; closed due to safety concerns until further condition assessment can be completed
Recreation areas and campgrounds:
- Flatwood Day Use Recreation Area
- Cave Springs Campground
- Bark Camp Campground and Day Use Area
- Birch Knob Observation Site
- Cane Patch Campground
- High Knob Campground and Day Use Area
Mount Rogers National Recreation Area
The following have reopened:
Only those areas east of Virginia 16 and south of Interstate 81. Forest Service roads in Grayson County west of Virginia 16 are still being cleared and are subject to Virginia Department of Transportation road closures.
- Stony Fork Campground and Cabin
- Collins Cove Horse Camp
- Hussy Mountain Horse Camp
- Raven Cliff Campground
- Comers Rock Campground
- Hale Lake
- Gullion Fork Fishing Ponds
- Wythe Shooting Range
Exceptions are:
- Forest Service Trail #4616 (Raven Cliff Furnace Trail, hikers only), accessed from Raven Cliff Recreation Area, is closed indefinitely due to a washed-out bridge
- Forest Service Road 14 (Camp Road) is closed from its eastern terminus in Noble Furnace to a point east of Hussy Mountain Horse Camp, due to a washed-out culvert. The road is barricaded. Forest Service Road 14 will be open from Virginia 21, south of Speedwell, to Hussy Mountain Horse Camp. Horse trailers will not be able to turn around if they attempt to access Hussy Mountain Horse Camp from the east at Noble Furnace.
The public is advised to use caution on roads and trails. Watch for utility trucks and other recovery efforts.
For more information on Hurricane Helene closures, call the Southern Region Hurricane Hotline 404-939-4485 or visit the forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/gwj.
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