Backcountry campsites for 9 NC state parks closed due to increased fire risk

Will Hofmann, Asheville Citizen Times
·2 min read

All backcountry campsites in nine Western North Carolina state parks have been closed effective Nov. 10 due to increased fire risk, according to an N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation news release. The closures are expected to last through Dec. 1.

Those who booked campsites with reservations between Nov. 10 and Dec. 1 will receive a full refund, according to the news release.

Grandfather Mountain State Park's backcountry campsites, including Briar Patch, seen here, are closed as of Nov. 10
Grandfather Mountain State Park's backcountry campsites, including Briar Patch, seen here, are closed as of Nov. 10

The following state parks are affected:

  • Crowders Mountain State Park: All campsites are closed.

  • Elk Knob State Park: All campsites and the zone camping area are closed.

  • Gorges State Park: All camping is currently closed. The tent, trailer and recreational vehicle campground and cabins are closed through Nov. 16 due to black bear activity.

  • Grandfather Mountain State Park: All campsites are closed.

  • Lake James State Park: All paddle-in campsites at Long Arm Peninsula are closed. The tent, trailer and recreational vehicle campground at Paddy's Creek Access and tent campsites at Catawba River Access remain open.

  • Mount Mitchell State Park: Tent campsites at the park are closed.

  • New River State Park: Campsites at the Peaks Area and at Riverbend Area, accessible through the Wagoner Access, are closed. Paddle-in campsites at Riverbend, Prather's Creek and Alleghany areas are closed. The walk-in campsites at Wagoner Access and all campsites at U.S. 221 Access remain open.

  • South Mountains State Park: The 24 backpacking campsites are closed. The tent, trailer and recreational vehicle campground remains open.

  • Stone Mountain State Park: The four backcountry campsites located along Widow's Creek Trail are closed. The tent, trailer and recreational vehicle campground and walk-in group campsites remain open.

All state parks listed are currently under a burn ban.

The closures come as the area experiences a period of severe drought which has coincided with a period of rising forest fires. In the past week, four fires have burned over 7 square miles in WNC.

Cliffside campsite at Grandfather Mountain State Park is about a 4-mile, hike-in-only, primitive campsite that is closed Nov. 10 to Dec. 1 due to increased fire risk.
Cliffside campsite at Grandfather Mountain State Park is about a 4-mile, hike-in-only, primitive campsite that is closed Nov. 10 to Dec. 1 due to increased fire risk.

The N.C Forest Service expanded a burn ban to 16 counties to include Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Caldwell, Catawba, Haywood, Iredell, Lincoln, Madison, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey.

Fourteen counties were already under a burn ban that was established Nov. 5: Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, McDowell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain and Transylvania.

In November 2016, extended drought conditions across WNC contributed to 34 wildfires that burned throughout the month, eventually burning some 60,000 acres of forest. They also led to 14 deaths in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, after the Chimney Tops Fire that started in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, whipped by high winds, escaped the park's borders. The park straddles the mountainous border between WNC and eastern Tennessee.

Current wildfire coverage: WNC fires update: Collett Ridge spreads to 6.8 square miles, DuPont close to contained

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declares state of emergency as wildfires burn in mountains

Burn ban expanded to 16 more counties as WNC wildfires continue, little rain in forecast

Great Smoky Mountains National Park bans backcountry campfires due to high wildfire risk

Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Increased fire risk closes backcountry campsites for 9 NC state parks