“Old growth forests are charismatic. People love to see big trees.” Hidden among the expanse of forestland in Western North Carolina are little-known pockets of trees that are several centuries old. Either overlooked by loggers or too difficult to access, the old growth stands act as windows into the past and markers of Appalachian history. Since the end of the Civil War...
Learn MoreThe painstaking process of outlining a clear mission for the U.S. Forest Service and how it will manage its expansive public lands in Western North Carolina and the varied — and sometimes competing — interests of the people that use them has begun. Once completed, the new plan will serve as a reference for the coming 15 years on any major decision made about the Pisgah...
Learn MoreThe U.S. Forest Service today announced temporary road closures for segments of Forest Service Road (FSR) 423 (Tatham Gap), FSR 440 (Tuni Gap), FSR 340 (Fires Creek) and FSR 81C (Whigg Branch) because of damage caused by a storm that occurred earlier this winter. These temporary closures extend emergency closures put in place after approximately 11 inches of rain fell...
Learn MoreThe U.S. Forest Service has scheduled all six district public meetings as part of the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forests management plan revision. All meetings will be from 6-9 p.m. The following dates and locations have been confirmed: Grandfather Ranger District: March 12 at McDowell Technical Community College, Room 113, in Marion; Pisgah Ranger District: March 18 at...
Learn MoreThe U.S. Forest Service announced that the prescribed burning season for the Tusquitee and Cheoah Ranger Districts, Nantahala National Forest, will take place from early-March to late April. The agency plans to conduct prescribed burning, during the dormant season, on approximately 1,600 acres in Tusquitee and 1,353 acres in Cheoah to help prevent wildfires and promote a...
Learn MoreThe Nantahala and Pisgah national forests have close to 1,600 miles of non-motorized trails. Millions of people visit the two national forests every year, the 2nd most visited national forests in the United States. Since the start of 2012, trail enthusiasts and others with knowledge of non-motorized trails in North Carolina have been involved in providing input on the US...
Learn MoreForest Supervisor Kristin Bail with the National Forests in North Carolina today announced that the agency plans to restore between 8,000 and 10,000 acres of the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests in 2013 using prescribed burning. “Fire has been part of Southern Appalachian forests for thousands of years, and we’ve learned that putting out every fire...
Learn MoreThe U.S. Forest Service today announced that several roads on the Tusquitee Ranger District, Nantahala National Forest, remain closed because of mudslides caused by heavy rains in recent weeks. The following Forest Service roads (FSR) are closed due to road failures caused by the storm event that occurred the week of Jan. 14, 2013. FSR 340 (Fires Creek Rd.): Closed at...
Learn MoreThe U.S. Forest Service National Forests in North Carolina is encouraging drivers to stay off all Forest Service roads in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests until the recent storm passes and conditions improve. Heavy rain has produced mudslides in the two national forests. Travel conditions are also dangerous because of the potential for washed out roads and...
Learn MoreNestled deep in the mountains between Sylva and Cashiers, NC, the scenic U.S. Forest Service Balsam Lodge is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with a makeover. Throughout the summer and fall, portions of the lodge were restored by student carpentry and facilities maintenance crews from the Oconaluftee Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center, a job training center...
Learn MoreHikers of the Appalachian Trail (AT) have a new shelter where they can rest their bones. The U.S. Forest Service today announced the completion of the Long Branch Shelter, located in the Standing Indian Basin in the Nantahala National Forest. “Thanks to a lot of hard work and donations from partners, hikers of the AT can now seek shelter from the elements in a new...
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Volunteers and scientists planted 200 American chestnut seedlings in the Nantahala National Forest that are hopefully blight resistant in efforts to restore the mighty giant to its rightful place as king of the Appalachian forest. The project is part of the American Chestnut Foundation’s restoration program to return the tree to its native range. This planting is part a...
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Kristin Bail, forest supervisor of the USDA Forest Service National Forests in North Carolina announced that the agency is beginning the formal process of revising the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests Land and Resource Management Plan. The Plan will guide management of the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests for approximately 15 years. “I am pleased to...
Learn MoreReally, there’s isn’t a better place to experience fall in the world than in Asheville and Western North Carolina, so what’s to feel bad about? Alot of other people around the country think so, too. Which is why WNC is getting ready for the leaf peeping parade in the next few weeks. Most pretty places around here – the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Smokies, the national...
Learn MoreThe U.S. Forest Service is proposing a controlled burn in Panthertown Valley, a popular recreation area in Jackson County, NC dissected with hiking and biking trails, abundant waterfalls and camping sites. Officials with the Nantahala Ranger District say a controlled fire could be beneficial to vegetation and promote habitat for certain wildlife. But, some Panthertown...
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Transylvania County, North Carolina is known as “Land of Waterfalls” for good reason, as there are 250 unique cascades within a short drive of each other. Upper Whitewater Falls on the Whitewater River south of Sapphire is perhaps the most spectacular. There are two distinct overlooks of the 411 foot plunge taken by the river on its path to Lake Jocassee....
Learn MoreA million acres of national forests sounds like a lot, and indeed it is. But consider the 8.6 million people who visit the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests every year and those vast green swaths that checker any map of Western North Carolina don’t seem quite so big after all. Recreation has grown exponentially in the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests during the...
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Friends of Panthertown is having a big fundraising benefit, the 2012 Bald Rock / The Divide Horse Exhibition & Silent Auction to be held on Saturday, June 30, 2012 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bald Rock / The Divide equestrian community located on US Hwy. 64 between Cashiers and Sapphire, North Carolina. This exhibition will feature a spectacular horse show, silent...
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Designated a National Wild and Scenic River, the Chattooga River’s headwaters are in North Carolina, but it stretches into Georgia and South Carolina as well. In fact, at one point known as Ellicott Rock, it marks the common tri-boundary of all three states. There are more than 50 miles of trails along the Chattooga River but this four-mile stretch just south of...
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The Mountains to Sea Trail spans the width of North Carolina, running from the Great Smoky Mountains in the west, to the Outer Banks of Coastal Carolina. Much of the trail in the mountainous part of the state is near or parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway. This section of the MST along the parkway has been designated a National Recreation Trail. With elevations well above...
Learn MoreVolunteer forest stewards are needed to help maintain and clear hiking trails in Panthertown Valley, a backcountry recreation area in Nantahala National Forest, beginning at 9:30 a.m. March 21. Friends of Panthertown is hosting its first trail work day of the spring. Volunteers will meet at the Salt Rock Gap trailhead at the end of Breedlove Road at 9:30 a.m. From there,...
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Situated in the far northern reaches of the Panthertown Trail System in Nantahala National Forest, Turkey Knob and Blackrock Mountain offer long distance views of the more well known features of Panthertown Valley. From more than 4000 feet elevation, there are splendid views of Little and Big Green Mountains and The Great Wall. The full expanse of Mac’s Gap lays on...
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More than 5 million people hit the trails in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests last year — a number that continues to grow not only as more people move to the mountains but also as outdoor recreation increases in popularity. The use of trails is at an all-time high, but the money to maintain them is shrinking. The Catch-22 has prompted the forest service to...
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I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. I live in Western NC near the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are just out my door, so the content will focus on these areas, but let me know what you would like to see on the site. 
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