The need
On the Pisgah Ranger District, the trails in the South Mills River area suffered some of the most significant damage from the impacts of Hurricane Helene. With multiple suspension bridges destroyed, and sections of trail scoured and washed out, South Mills River trail emerged as a key priority for trail repair.
The work ahead
This project will involve contracted trail maintenance and improvements on the first four miles of South Mills River trail out of the Turkey Pen trailhead. It will consist of an approximately 1-mile trail relocation and the repair of three low water armored fords across the river.
This project will also set the stage for future Helene recovery projects as it will provide reliable and sustainable access for construction crews that will later be contracted by the USDA Forest Service to reconstruct the three large suspension bridges on this section of trail that were destroyed during Hurricane Helene.
Additional trail reroute
As part of this project, we will also be rerouting a small portion of Bradley Creek trail (from the Turkey Pen side to the first stream crossing) that is situated alongside the river. This portion of trail is notoriously water-logged due to a lack of proper drainage, and there is no proper location for drainage to be installed.
For these reasons, this section of trail will be moved higher up the hill away from the river to make it more resilient to future severe weather events and to reduce erosion.
