Burnsville-based NC High Peaks Trail Association has been awarded a $13,500 grant from the WNC Futures Fund’s Trail to Recovery Program to help rebuild the popular Balsam Nature Trail at Mt. Mitchell State Park.
Although the Park remains closed because there is no access due to landslides and other road damage to the Blue Ridge Parkway caused by Hurricane Helene, the grant will offer visitors a much-improved experience once the Park re-opens.
“The Balsam Nature Trail is the shortest, easiest hike in the Park, so it is by far our most popular and heavily-used trail,” said Park Superintendent Rob McGraw. “Any improvements will be a boost for visitors and also help protect our fragile environment.”
The grant will go toward the purchase of pressure-treated poles that High Peaks will use to border the trail. The group has applied for two other grants to purchase gravel and a motorized wheelbarrow that would be used to build up a defined, hardened track between the poles. No announcements have been made yet on winners of the additional grants.
“It’s called a turnpike, and it’s the best way to keep hikers from straying off the path,” said High Peaks president Buzz Kaas. “The trail is a rocky, often slippery walk, but despite that we see grandmothers and families with toddlers on it. A defined gravel path will make the hike much more enjoyable and safer for everybody.”
Many might be surprised to learn that Helene’s damage at Mt. Mitchell State Park was far less severe than other hard-hit locations in Yancey County. There was minimal roof damage to one building, a bit of erosion along roadways, and most seriously, damage to the water system, something park personnel are already working to repair.
But while the mountain summit was not too badly hit, the 11-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway leading to NC 128 and the Park’s entrance from NC 80 at Buck Creek Gap was heavily-damaged. Several massive landslides took out sections of the road, and repairs will be costly and time-consuming.
As yet there is no timetable for when the Parkway might re-open, and Mt. Mitchell State Park cannot open until the Parkway is repaired and open to the public.
Despite the widespread damage from Helene, hikers should get good news soon as the US Forest Service is expected to re-open a few trails on the northern sections of the Black Mountains, including Roaring Fork Falls, Colbert Ridge, Woody Ridge and the Black Mountain Crest Trail from Bolen’s Creek to Deep Gap.
But the Crest Trail and other tracks south of Deep Gap will remain closed, as are all trails in Mt. Mitchell State Park. Hikers must heed these closures and not venture past Deep Gap.
High Peaks serves as the official “Friends of Mt. Mitchell State Park” organization and the club has undertaken numerous projects to improve and assist the Park in recent years.
In addition to maintaining Park trails, the club purchased and installed a low-wattage Traveler Information Radio station, as well as electronic displays for the Park Office and numerous web cameras that provide live views from the tallest mountain in the Eastern U.S.
“We cherish our relationship with Mt. Mitchell,” Kaas said. “Rob is simply the best guy to work with, and it is a great reward for all of our trail crew members to be able to help him and make improvements at the Park.”
