Trails we’ve worked on in the last month:
- North Mills River Trail
- Slate Rock Creek Trail
- Slickrock Falls Trail
- Big Creek Trail
- Buckhorn Gap Trail
Volunteer opportunities with TPC
The past month has also seen several trail volunteer opportunities with Simon, our Trails and Recreation Technician, leading brushing workdays at Pilot Cove-Slate Rock Trail and Big Creek Trail.
We recently collaborated with our partners at the Carolina Climbers Coalition to co-lead a volunteer workday focused on tread improvements to Slick Rock Falls Trail, a beautiful trail providing climbing access to multiple routes on Looking Glass Rock.
Don’t miss your chance to give back to Pisgah’s trails this summer – join us for an upcoming volunteer workday:
- Saturday, July 18th on Pilot Cove-Slate Rock Trail
- Saturday, July 25th on Pilot Cove-Slate Rock Trail
- Tuesday, August 18th on Big Creek Trail
- Tuesday, August 25th on Sycamore Cove Trail
For more details, please visit: https://pisgahconservancy.org/pisgahevents/category/volunteer-events/
Major project update: Upper Falls Connector Trail
Up near Graveyard Fields, our contracted team from Global Action Sports Solutions has commenced work on the construction of the new Upper Falls Connector Trail. Despite a brief early delay due to heavy rains, the crew is making good progress.
The early work has focused on constructing a staging area with rock retaining walls, a crucial component for both this project and future projects in Graveyard Fields, which will allow the significant materials required for construction and repair to be staged for transport down the trail.
They’ve also begun clearing the trail corridor and shaping the trail tread, making steady progress down the hillside above the Graveyard Fields valley. With an anticipated completion date of mid-September, we’re excited to see the continued progress in the weeks and months to come.
Trail Crew highlights
Our Trail Crew has spent the majority of the last month working on North Mills River Trail, which was scoured by the high waters of both Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm Fred.
Our crew is relocating a low-lying section of trail by moving it up on the side slope above the existing trail.
Their process has included:
- Clearing the new trail corridor
- Grading and compacting the new trail tread
- Installing regular reverse grade dips
In addition to constructing approximately 600 feet of new trail, our crew also attended to maintenance on the rest of the trail, brushing out the corridor, improving drainage, hardening and regrading boggy spots, and improving ford entrances and exits.
With this work nearly complete, the crew will next head to North Slope Trail to improve trail tread and drainage.
Ecological Restoration Crew highlights
With the initial treatment of Davidson River Campground largely complete, our Ecological Restoration Crew has been returning to established project sites for continued maintenance.
The key to managing invasive plant infestations is continued, methodical management and treatment over successive years. This means the crew’s continued work is critical to reducing invasive populations and allowing the forest to recover and revegetate with native species.
Their work this past month has included treatment areas at Kuykendall Group Camp and along Avery Creek Road, which is a major vector for non-native invasive plants.
Next, the crew will return to the Catheys Creek watershed, with more work at Kuykendall Group Camp before fanning out and revisiting identified infestations along the gated roads and deeper reaches of the watershed.
Visit this page to learn more about our Ecological Restoration Crew’s major project sites and year-round efforts to restore ecological balance in Pisgah.
Pisgah River Rangers program highlights
Our Pisgah River Rangers staff are in the full swing of summer programming. They’re out in the field every day of the week, interacting with the busy summer crowds and providing regular opportunities for public engagement with Pisgah’s bountiful natural resources.
Their first public snorkeling events have been a great success, exposing our community first-hand to the intricate connections and amazing creatures that compose our aquatic ecosystems.
In the Davidson and North Mills River areas, they’ve been busy dismantling rock dams, cleaning up trash, and performing angler surveys.
In the South Mills River area, they’ve been assisting our partners at the NC Wildlife Resources Commission with electrofishing surveys.
Direct community education is a key component of the Pisgah River Rangers program, with guided hikes and pop-up classroom opportunities occurring weekly at the Pisgah Ranger Station.
For a full list of upcoming Pisgah River Rangers events, please visit: https://pisgahconservancy.org/organizer/pisgah-river-rangers/