In a decision that could bring an end to the national Adventure Pass program, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the U.S. Forest Service cannot charge for hiking, walking, picnicking or visiting undeveloped areas of national forest land. In the unanimous ruling released Feb. 9 in favor of four hikers who objected to paying a fee to visit the forest, Judge...
Learn MoreIt has taken almost half a year, but the National Forest Service has decided to use a boardwalk to restore a popular path taken out of commission by the fall of two giant sequoia trees last September. The Forest Service went through a lengthy public consultation process to determine what to do about the ruined portion of about 100 feet of trail within the Trail of 100...
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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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Thompson Creek Trail climbs Thompson Ridge from Forest Road 1206 to a point just below the Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway. To the southwest it overlooks the Cradle of Forestry National Historic Site and the Pink Beds. To the east it crosses from Transylvania County into Henderson County and joins the Pilot Rock Trail along the Slate Rock Ridge for the descent across...
Learn MoreSometimes, removing a few trees is good for the forest — at least when it comes to wildlife habitat. That’s the idea behind a wildlife habitat enhancement project under way on national forest land in Madison County, one of a number of such initiatives planned in the mountains to benefit species ranging from bears to songbirds. The project, on 15 acres in an area known...
Learn MoreThe U.S. Forest Service is proposing to build a boardwalk near the twin giant sequoias that toppled to the ground along a popular trail, an event that garnered national attention and a slew of suggestions about what to do with the ancient trees. The agency received more than 150 comments from the public, ranging from “cut them into firewood” to “leave...
Learn MoreThe 3-mile hiking trail in the Wilson Canyon area near Reno, NV, planned since 2005, is now open to the public. The trail is on the south side of Wilson Canyon, southeast of the Walker River bridge. It begins at the trailhead situated at the parking area at the west end of the canyon, traverses over the ridge to the east, runs north back to the river and then along the...
Learn MoreEnvironmentalists suggest a massive tree that fell over at California’s Sequoia National Forest should be left where it is. The U.S. Forest Service is trying to decide what to do with the centuries-old sequoia that keeled over about a month ago along the forest’s Trail of 100 Giants. While the rangers mull over their options, the executive director of Sequoia...
Learn MoreA few years ago, the University of Tennessee and the U.S. Forest Service surveyed public opinion about recreational uses of the Cherokee National Forest. Their research found the most popular recreational uses of the forest are driving for pleasure, viewing and photographing wildlife, fish or scenery, picnicking, day hiking and visiting primitive areas. Strong support was...
Learn MoreWATERBURY (AP) – The last section of the Long Trail damaged by the remnants of Hurricane Irene has reopened. Officials say three miles of the trail in Shrewsbury remained closed for a month while the rest of the Long Trail had reopened weeks earlier. The Green Mountain Club said that it had proposed a detour of the damaged section of the Long Trail and Appalachian...
Learn MoreFor many people, September is the perfect month to hike Timp. Before the first snowfall and while the weather is cooler, Caine Alder likes to hike this popular trail. He begins in the Aspen Grove parking lot just up the road past Sundance Resort and follows a winding route past Emerald Lake to the summit of Mount Timpanogos – but his path diverges from most everyone...
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I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, publisher of Meanderthals, and a passionate hiker. I live in western NC near the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are just out my doorstep, 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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