Trail improvements at DuPont State Recreational Forest will lead to closures
Trail improvements are coming to DuPont State Recreational Forest.
Trail work is slated to begin July 17 at the popular tourist destination straddling Henderson and Transylvania counties the has over 1 million visitors a year.
The work will involve 5 miles of trails including Briery Fork Trail, Wintergreen Falls Trail, Hilltop Trail and Grassy Creek Trail, according to a news release from the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Kirsten McDonald, information and education supervisor with the state forest, told the Citizen Times in an email on July 12 that they aren't sure how long the work will last.
"So much depends on how quickly work progresses, weather, unforeseen equipment needs, etc. All we know for sure is that the contractor is currently planning to start work on July 17," McDonald said.
"The project will increase the environmental sustainability of these trails and help them hold up to the high level of recreational use as well as large amounts of rainfall," the release said.
More: Master plan for DuPont State Recreational Forest moves forward as visitation soars
McDonald told the Citizen Times that they don't have visitation numbers for this fiscal year yet but are anticipating them to be about the same as last fiscal year, which was 1.2 million.
According to prior reporting from the Citizen Times, DuPont is the most visited state forest in North Carolina, with diverse trail systems and accessible, first-class waterfalls.
“Some sections of existing trail that are unsustainable will be decommissioned, and new single-track trail or new trail alignments will be added,” Jane Dauster, recreation specialist for DuPont State Recreational Forest, said in a news release.
“Additionally, some steeply sloped sections of trail will receive rock armoring in order to stabilize the trail tread and reduce erosion, but the trail work will keep the character of the existing trails while giving them longevity and reducing sedimentation.”
Briery Fork Trail is scheduled to receive maintenance to its streams to protect water quality and reduce sedimentation from trail use. Some of the unsustainable sections of the trail will be decommissioned, according to the news release.
“Combining existing sections of Briery Fork Trail with new sustainable trail sections, reducing two creek crossings to one and armoring stream approaches will create a more sustainable trail that better protects the Briery Fork watershed,” Jason Guidry, forest supervisor for the forest, said in a news release.
One of the projects is to combine Briery Fork Trail and Turkey Knob Trail, making it the longest trail in the DuPont State Recreational Forest, according to the news release.
More: DuPont State Forest sets visitation records, braces for new normal of 1 million annually
The release said the work is being supervised by DuPont State Recreational Forest staff and will be completed in stages so too many trails aren't all closed at once.
The work is being done by a professional trail contractor, starting with the Hilltop trail, according to the news release.
Currently, Barn Trail is closed for repair and Sandy Trailis closed, according to the state forests website. To stay up to date on what trails are closed, visit dupontstaterecreationalforest.com.
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McKenna Leavens is the education reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at mleavens@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter @LeavensMcKennna. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Trail closures coming to DuPont State Recreational Forest
