Nearly two years after Hurricane Helene, a heavily impacted section of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail on the North Carolina-Tennessee border has reopened.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service ended the closure order on 5.5 miles of the A.T. in the Iron Mountain Gap area (Northbound miles 360.6 to 366.1) after extensive salvage logging to remove downed trees left by the storm in September 2024.
“This is a significant milestone in the ongoing, long-term recovery and repair efforts of the iconic Appalachian Trail following one of the most devastating storms to hit the Southern Appalachian region,” said Franklin Tate, Appalachian Trail Conservancy southern regional director. “While the A.T. is reopened, there is still work to be done in this section to rehab the trail. We’re grateful to the USDA Forest Service and volunteers with Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club for their continued collaboration and hard work, and to the many hikers who tackled the detour’s numerous steps during the closure.”
Work by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club continues north of Iron Mountain Gap (NOBO miles 364.8 to 366.1) to repair the footpath, and hikers will need to follow a dirt road that parallels the trail. Also, hikers should expect overgrowth on the southern section of reopened trail (NOBO miles 360.6 to 364.8) while the Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards works to clear the trail. More information can be found at appalachiantrail.org/trail-updates/iron-mtn-gap-detour/.
Over the past two years, donations to the ATC’s A.T. Resiliency Fund enabled repair efforts in this section and other parts of the trail impacted by Helene. Volunteers with TEHCC, ATC’s Konnarock and SWEAT Trail Crews, and staff from Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards tackled extensive treadway damage, including root ball holes and erosion caused by major blowdowns with support from the Resiliency Fund and other Helene-related funding.
Two Helene-related closures and detours remain on the Appalachian Trail, after the storm impacted more than 800 miles of trail. North of Damascus, Virginia, 9.2 miles of the A.T. are closed by the USDA Forest Service until March 31, 2027, during construction to rebuild the Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail. And a 3.6-mile detour to cross the Nolichucky River in Erwin, Tennessee, remains in place while a new bridge is built to replace the Chestoa Bridge washed away during Helene.