US Forest Service: Roan Mountain areas to close for $2.5 million federally funded repairs
ASHEVILLE — Some areas along the Roan will close for major renovations this summer, limiting access to this popular mountain bursting with rhododendrons and endangered species where the mighty Appalachian Trail travels through Mitchell County.
Among the Roan Mountain closures are the recreation area, rhododendron gardens, Roan high bluff, Cloudland parking area, and Cloudland Trail, according to an announcement from the U.S. Forest Service.
The Roan Highlands, located in the Pisgah and Cherokee National Forests, are a cluster of high elevation mountains home to dozens of rare, threatened and endangered species, according to the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy.
“Roan Mountain is one of our most beloved areas and we recognize this closure is a hardship, but the work that needs to be done can’t happen during harsh winter weather,” Jennifer Barnhart, district ranger with USFS, said in the release.
“We plan to have everything done by late summer/early fall and we know visitors will appreciate and enjoy the improvements when the site reopens next year.”
Spokesperson Jenifer Bunty told the Citizen Times the area has been seeing increased visitation over recent years and is typically closed during winter, and then reopens for the summer season from May through September.
"We will have crews working beginning this spring and plan to keep the area closed through the 2024 summer season as the improvements are completed," Bunty said. "We plan for it to reopen for the 2025 summer season."
The region represents “one of the richest repositories of temperate zone diversity in existence,” according to SAHC, including 33 species federal or state listed as threatened and endangered.
The Asheville-based nonprofit land trust transferred 91 acres, known as the Roan Mountain Gateway, to the U.S. Forest Service in 2021. The property was the last privately-owned land on N.C. 261 before reaching Carvers Gap, so its conservation helped to forever protect the scenic views from Round Bald and Jane Bald, much-loved mountaintops covered in grasses, rock slabs and shrubs along the Appalachian Trail.
More: Pisgah National Forest gains land on Roan Mountain, Appalachian Trail views protected
More: Appalachian Trail landmark Overmountain Shelter barn to be torn down, officials announce
What repairs are planned and how are they funded?
The repair project was chosen among a select number nationwide to be funded by the Great American Outdoors Act, the release said. The legislation, passed by Congress and signed into law by former President Donald Trump in 2020, established the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund.
The fund was created to address a backlog of deferred maintenance on federally managed public lands by providing $285 million for 450 projects in 38 states and Puerto Rico. This project is one of 348 authorized and funded projects under Legacy Restoration Funding in Fiscal Year 2023, Bunty said.
Just under $2.5 million in GAOA funds will be used for the Roan Mountain site reconstruction, according to an online project database. GAOA funds also supported “major renovation” work at Catawba Falls, an uber-popular waterfall in Pisgah National Forest recently announced to be reopening May 31.
More: US Forest Service sets spring reopening date for Catawba Falls
Some renovations on the Roan have already begun, with crews drilling a new well and replacing the current water distribution system, the U.S. Forest Service said. Upcoming improvement plans include:
Road surface improvement
Replacing curbs and fences
Rehabilitating picnic sites
Replacing flooring in the visitor center
New interpretive signs
Repairing damage on the observation decks
Can visitors still hike in the area?
Carver’s Gap and the Appalachian Trail will remain open during the repairs, according to the U.S. Forest Service. However, the release did warn that there is limited parking at Carver’s Gap.
The forest service requests that visitors plan accordingly and contact the District Office at 828-689-9694 if they have any questions or visit www.roanhighlands.org for alternative hikes.
Some alternative hiking experiences include:
Carolina Hemlocks Day Use Area on the South Toe River in Burnsville.
Craggy Gardens Picnic Area off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Beauty Spot, a scenic mountain overlook in the Cherokee National Forest near Erwin, TN.
Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Roan Mountain areas to close for $2.5 million federally funded repairs
