YANCEY COUNTY, N.C. (828NewsNow) — Another popular hiking trail along the Blue Ridge Parkway is open for the first time since Helene devastated Western North Carolina on Sept. 27, 2024.
The Blue Ridge Parkway announced on Nov. 10 that parking and hiking access to the Crabtree Falls area have reopened for the first time since the trail had been damaged by Helene. The trail is located at the 339.5 milepost on the Blue Ridge Parkway and is at the Yancey County-McDowell County line.
Due to several bridges along the longer trail still being repaired, the hike is currently an out-and-back hike, the Parkway said. The hike used to be a three-mile loop trail, offering visitors two options to get back to the trailhead. They could either do the in-and-out hike or take the longer loop trail back to the trailhead.
Hikers are asked use caution while visiting the trail, which the Parkway said is a moderate-to-strenuous hike with steep inclines and rocky terrain. Portable restrooms are available at the Crabtree Falls Picnic Area, less than a mile from the trailhead.
“This reopening is another step forward in Hurricane Helene recovery. A special thank you to the trail crews from Mount Rainier National Park and crews from Carolina Mountain Club for their hard work and support in helping restore access and care for the Parkway’s trails,” the Parkway said in a social media post. “Recovery is a team effort, and we are grateful to everyone helping make these places accessible to visitors once again.”
According to the National Park Service, the Trail begins in the parking area for the old Crabtree Falls Camp Store. It is .3 miles to the trail starting from behind the campground kiosk. From here, the trail descends .9 mile to the falls through a mixed oak-hickory forest. Hikers also will pass through thickets of rosebay rhododendron. At the base of the trail is Crabtree Falls, where water cascades over a 60-foot rock cliff.
More information about the trail is available at the National Park Service website.