US Forest Service sets spring reopening date for Catawba Falls

Catawba Falls is back in action!

The uber-popular waterfall in the Old Fort area of Pisgah National Forest has been closed for nearly two years for “major renovation” work, including the construction of retaining walls, staircases, boardwalks and overlooks along the trail.

Lisa Jennings, Grandfather District Recreation Manager, told the Citizen Times last May, when the waterfall recreation area was originally supposed to reopen, that safety and access are the main reasons for these renovations.

“We were having at least one serious head injury a month of people trying to get to the upper falls over the past five years,” Jennings said. “We’ve had a few deaths out there as well and so the No. 1 concern for us is safety.”

The Grandfather Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service announced in a March 14 news release that Catawba Falls will reopen May 31 with a public celebration.

For more details, visit www.g5trailcollective.org/catawbafalls to subscribe to Catawba Falls updates.

More: Catawba Falls Trail in Pisgah National Forest closed temporarily for engineering work

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Catawba Falls in Pisgah National Forest set to open in spring