MIDDLE BLACK MOUNTAIN

A collaborative effort between the USFS, Pisgah Area SORBA, and the State of North Carolina, the re-route consists of 3.6 miles of new trail at a total cost of $125,000. 2.2 miles of trail will be decommissioned between Turkey Pen Gap and Lower Black.

After a 2013 Trails Strategy Process the conclusion was reached that portions of the Black Mountain trail contained unsustainable grades. Coupled with heavy trail use and precipitation, the section of trail in question had become severely eroded. Faced with the difficult decision of closing the trail if it could not be repaired in its current alignment or rerouted along with a more sustainable grade, the Pisgah Ranger District and local stakeholders held public input sessions and site visits to determine the best course of action to save the trail.

The professional consensus was that certain portions of the trail needed to be relocated off the ridge-line and to the sidehill where it could drain properly. The new trail is being constructed as a single lane, USFS Trail Class 2 hiking/biking trail under the USFS Trail Specifications for Construction of Trails on Forest Service Projects. Within those specifications, the desired character is for a relatively narrow, rocky trail, with several challenging rock and log features, able to sustain heavy use and weather.