Latest news with #PisgahNationalForest
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Popular waterfall in Pisgah National Forest reopens: What to know before you go
The United States Forest Service is reopening the Elk River Falls Area within the Pisgah National Forest on July 11 after several months spent clearing Tropical Storm Helene debris, according to an announcement from the agency. Home to a 65-foot waterfall known locally as Big Falls, the area in Avery County experienced significant flooding during the storm that left the river clogged with debris and the trails blocked by downed trees, the Forest Service said. Visitors are advised to exercise caution near the waterfall area. 'Elk River Falls is a popular summer destination, and our community neighbors have been patient while we worked to restore access to the trails and clear the river so we could safely reopen,' District Ranger Jen Barnhart said in the release. More than 30 volunteers from Wild South, Waterfall Keepers of North Carolina and the Linville-Central Rescue Squad helped Forest Service crews remove trash and debris, including a 250-pound propane tank left after floodwaters receded. To ensure public safety, the Forest Service monitored the falls for any new hazards and loose debris that could pose a risk. The parking area and entry road leading to Elk River Falls have been repaired and resurfaced for better access, according to the release. 'The reopening of Elk River Falls is not only a win for public access, but also a symbol of the resilience of the communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. It's a powerful reminder of what's possible when communities come together to care for one another and our shared public lands,' Halley Burleson, Operations Coordinator for Wild South, said in the release. Elk River Falls is particularly dangerous after a heavy rain, when strong currents create turbine conditions in the pool below the falls, which is more than 70 feet deep in places, according to forest rangers. Even before Helene, however, Elk River Falls has been called one of the deadliest waterfalls in Western North Carolina by emergency services officials, with more than 20 over the past couple of decades. Deaths and serious injuries including paralysis have occurred due to people jumping off the top of the falls and drowning or hitting their heads on slippery rocks, and even drowning while swimming in the pool below the falls and becoming entangled in fishing line, according to past Citizen Times reporting. In May 2022, a 53-year-old man from Kingsport, Tennessee, drowned while swimming in the Elk River Falls pool. Witnesses on scene said that Williams "waded out into the water and started to swim. He was seen by a witness go under the water and not resurface," according to an Avery County Sheriff's Office news statement. 'He did not jump. He was just swimming in the pool there at the bottom,' former Avery County Sheriff Danny Phillips said at the time. Elk River Falls is particularly dangerous after a heavy rain, when strong currents create turbine conditions in the pool below the falls, which is more than 70 feet deep in places, according to forest rangers. Swimming near, climbing or jumping from waterfalls is incredibly dangerous and can even be fatal, the Forest Service warned. Rangers instructed visitors to follow all posted signage, stay out of the water and not climb rocks around the waterfall. Entering the water immediately above or below Elk River Falls can be extremely dangerous because of an incredibly strong undercurrent and the height of the waterfall, the release said. In the latest waterfall-related death in WNC, a man died July 6 while rappelling at Steele Creek Falls in the Burke County area of Pisgah National Forest. More: Man drowns after rappelling accident in Pisgah National Forest: officials urge caution More: Man dies at Elk River Falls in Pisgah National Forest, second death here in 6 weeks WNC's waterfalls are beautiful, but dangerous without proper care taken to stay safe. Follow these guidelines when visiting a waterfall: Observe all posted signs leading to waterfall areas. Do not swim or wade upstream near a waterfall. Watch for slick rocks around waterfalls. Do not jump off waterfalls or dive into pools. Do not climb on rocks above waist height. Watch your children and pets at all times. Stay on marked trails and observation areas. More: Waterfalls Park in Newland protected from development by Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy More: Best waterfalls in Western NC: See the tallest, falls with short hikes, swimming holes Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@ and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Popular waterfall in Pisgah National Forest reopens: See where
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Hiker plummets into a ravine near popular NC waterfalls, her rescuers say
A hiker plummeted 20 feet into a ravine in a popular North Carolina waterfalls area on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail Friday, her rescuers said. Crews contended with 'difficult terrain' and fog, rain and thunderstorms to rescue the woman about six miles west of Morganton, Burke County 911 spokesman Chris White told The Charlotte Observer on Saturday. The hiker fell just west of Steel Creek Park & Campground, White said. The campground is on N.C. 181. A Burke Rescue worker reached the woman just before 3:30 p.m., about 1 1/2 hours after the emergency call came in, the squad reported Saturday. She injured a leg. The woman fell in 'rugged terrain' in the Buck Creek area of Pisgah National Forest, squad officials said. A rescue helicopter took five hours to reach the woman due to the terrain and weather, and downed trees and washed-out roads and trails from Hurricane Helene in September, according to a Burke County 911 statement on social media late Friday. The hiker's name, age and condition haven't been released. Other hikers with the woman called 911 after they found cell phone service away from where the woman fell, White said. More rescuers reached the woman just after 5 p.m. and applied Advanced Life Support care, according to Burke Rescue. By 8 p.m., Burke County 911 said emergency crews from multiple counties were on scene at the Steel Creek Access area on U.S. Forest Service Road 210. 'The patient is being attended to by heroes from Burke EMS, Burke County Rescue, and multiple fire departments,' Burke County 911 said late Friday. A rescue helicopter finally removed the woman just before 9 p.m. and took her to a waiting ambulance. She was taken to a hospital. 'All rescuers were safely out of the woods by 10:40 p.m.,' according to Burke Rescue. 'We extend our sincere thanks to all the agencies that responded to this challenging call.'
The Independent
09-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
High school student airlifted to safety after rattlesnake bite on remote fishing trip
A high school student was airlifted to the hospital after being bitten by a rattlesnake while on a remote fishing trip in North Carolina. Zain Shah, 17, was hiking in the Pisgah National Forest when he was bitten by the snake about two miles from the nearest road. A North Carolina National Guard Blackhawk was dispatched to the area along with a rescue team. The rattlesnake bit him around 5 p.m. on June 5 while he was walking along Lost Cove Creek. He was later airlifted to Johnson City Medical Center in Tennessee, according to The News & Observer. The teenager was hiking with his friend Kevin Foley, 18. The two had planned to fish until it got dark and then camp for the evening. 'At the point where we were about to turn back, I stepped over a log and as my foot landed, I felt a prick,' he told the newspaper. 'It was painless. I looked down and see a rattlesnake sitting there. I think: 'No way that just happened.' But I rolled down my sock and see two red dots and blood coming out. I knew it was potentially deadly.' Zain Shah did not have cell service but used his friend's phone to dial 911. A dispatcher told him it would be too dangerous for him to try to walk back to his vehicle. It's believed the teen, who took a photo of the reptile, was bitten by a timber rattlesnake. The reptile can reach up to seven feet and has venom that is 'potent enough to kill a human,' according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. After the reptile bit him, Zain Shah said his body began to tingle and he developed pins and needles. At one point, he thought he was going into shock. It took two hours for rescuers to reach him. He told the outlet he did not have a strong reaction to the bite, leading medical professionals to believe it may have been a dry bite, which means either little or no venom was released. Still, bloodwork later confirmed he was still at risk of uncontrolled bleeding. Medical professionals administered 12 vials of antivenom over three days in the hospital, he told the outlet. Zain Shah, who is due to graduate from high school later this month, is grateful to the first responders and his friend for coming to his aid. 'All of them saved my life,' he said. 'I wouldn't be here without the help of so many people. I have ventured alone into the mountains before, but I'll never do that again. The buddy system only from now on, but this will not keep me from going back out there.' His father took to social media to also thank the medical team. 'What started as a fun end-of-high-school fishing trip for my son and his buddy in the western North Carolina mountains turned deadly when he was bitten by a timber rattlesnake deep in the woods,' Imran Shah wrote on Facebook. 'I'm beyond grateful for the incredible NCHART and Linville-Central Rescue teams, who got to them in the middle of nowhere and saved his life! He was air-lifted to and treated at Johnson City Medical Center, Tennessee, and is now recovering at home. We are forever in your debt.'
E&E News
28-05-2025
- General
- E&E News
Birthplace of US forestry faces long recovery
ASHEVILLE, North Carolina — Around the turn of the 20th century, George Vanderbilt turned tens of thousands of acres of tired farmland and tattered woods into one of the country's first experiments with professional forestry. Vanderbilt, a grandson of the shipping and railroad baron Cornelius Vanderbilt, first came to Asheville in 1888 with his mother, who sought out the mountainous area to recuperate from a long bout with malaria. George built a 125,000-acre summer estate here that was completed in 1895. Much of that land later became the Pisgah National Forest. What remains in the family is the 8,000-acre luxurious Biltmore Estate, now going through one of the tougher tests since Vanderbilt's time: remaking parts of the forest after Hurricane Helene flattened trees across entire hilltops. Advertisement Andy Tait, a consulting forester on the property, is mindful of the history.
E&E News
22-05-2025
- Climate
- E&E News
Climate politics, staff cuts ensnarl post-Helene forest cleanup
BARNARDSVILLE, North Carolina — Hurricane Helene felled thousands of acres of trees in North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest last September, but it spared a hefty American beech standing near the entrance to Big Ivy, an area so cherished for its old-growth stands that the federal government considered it a national park candidate in the 1930s. The tree, however, had a closer call this spring with Forest Service chain saws. A favorite of Will Harlan, Southeast director for the Center for Biological Diversity, the tree grows aside a muddy dirt road the Forest Service recently carved into the woods at Big Ivy as part of the post-Helene recovery effort. Advertisement The job's just beginning.
