ASHEVILLE - Considerable swaths of the Pisgah National Forest will be closed to recreation from April 13 until Aug. 13, according to a press release from the Forest Service.

Visitors won’t be allowed to use an extensive list of roads and trails, enter a developed recreation sites (including campgrounds and picnic areas) or camp in the Pisgah National Forest for four months.

Closure highlights include Looking Glass Rock, Mt. Pisgah, Max Patch, Graveyard Fields, Catawba Falls, Mountains to Sea and the Art Loeb Trail.

The Forest Service said in its release, it was initiating the closures to be “in alignment with current federal, state and local guidance for social distancing and to ensure health and safety of its employees, visitors and volunteers.”

Trail Closures

Pisgah Ranger District

Ivestor Gap (101)

Daniel Ridge Loop (105)

Looking Glass Rock (114)


Slick Rock Falls (117)

Cat Gap (120)

North Face (132)

Art Loeb – Davidson River to Joel Branch FSR5002 (146)

Art Loeb – Black Balsam Road FSR816 to Camp Daniel Boone (146)

Moore Cove (318)

Campground Connector (329)

Mt. Pisgah (355)

Graveyard Ridge (356)

Graveyard Ridge (356A)

Graveyard Fields (358)

Upper Falls (358A)

MST Access (358B)

Shining Creek (363)


John Rock (365)

Rainbow Falls (499)

Sunwall (601)

Hardtimes Gap (661)

Deer Lake Lodge and FSR491 (661)

Appalachian Ranger District

Big Butt (161)


Douglas Falls (162)

Walker Creek (165)

Elk Pen (166)

Snowball (170)

Upper Corner Rock (173)

Little Andy (174)

Perkins (175)


Bear Pen (176)

Black Mountain Crest (179)

Green Knob (182)

Stair Creek (183)

Laurel Gap (184)

Mount Mitchell (190)

Buncombe Horse (191)


Big Tom Gap (191A)

Roaring Fork Falls (195)

Setrock (197)

River Loop (200)

Fork Ridge (285)

Jerry Miller (286)

Green Ridge (287)


Hickey Fork (292)

Whiteoak (293)

Roundtop Ridge (295)

Shutin Creek (296)

Cherry Creek (300)

Cold Springs Horse (302)

Buckeye Ridge Horse (304)


Max Patch Loop (306)

Lover’s Leap (308)

Overmountain Victory Trail, from Roaring Creek to AT (308A)

Pump Gap Loop (309)

Laurel River (310)

Groundhog Creek (315)

Mountains to Sea (440)


Hemlock (1003)

Briar Bottom (1006)

Elk Falls

Grandfather Ranger District

Brown Mountain 1A (BM1A)

Brown Mountain 1B (BM1B)

Elliot Deer (BM2)


Sullivan’s Pass (BM3)

Kirby’s Loop (BM4)

Ned’s Knob (BM5)

Miller Circle (BM6)

Richard’s Bypass (BM7)

Brown Mountain 8 (BM8)

Brown Mountain 9 (BM9)


Brown Mountain 10 (BM10)

Falls Branch (214)

Catawba Falls (225)

Spence Ridge (233)

Shortoff (235)

Little Table Rock (236)

Table Rock Summit (242)


Table Rock Gap (243)

Hawksbill (248)

Linville Falls Access

Upper Creek (268B)

Recreation site closures

Pisgah Ranger District

Art Loeb Trailhead, Camp Daniel Boone


Art Loeb Trailhead, Davidson River

Art Loeb Trailhead, FSR816 Black Balsam

Avery Creek Roadside Campsites

Black Balsam Trailhead

Buckhorn Gap Shelter

Butter Gap Shelter

Campground Connector Trailhead


Cat Gap Trailhead

Cathy Creek Roadside Campsites

Coon Tree Picnic Area

Courthouse Falls Roadside Camping

Cove Creek Group Campground

Cradle of Forestry in America

Daniel Ridge Trailhead

Davidson River Campground

Deep Gap Shelter

Hardtimes Trailhead

Headwaters Roadside Campsites

Hendersonville Reservoir Road Roadside Campsites

Kuykendall Group Camp

Lake Powhatan Campground

Lake Powhatan Picnic Area

Lake Powhatan Swim Area

Ledford Branch Trailhead

Lickstone Dispersed Campsites

Looking Glass Falls

Looking Glass Falls Picnic Area

Looking Glass Rock Trailhead

Moore Cove Trailhead

North Face Trailhead

North Mills River Campground

North Mills River Picnic Area

Pink Beds Picnic Area

Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education

Pisgah Ranger Station Visitor Center

Rice Pinnacle Trailhead

Shining Creek Trailhead

Slick Rock Falls Trailhead

Sliding Rock Recreation Area

Stony Fork Picnic Area

Sunburst Campground

Sunburst Picnic Area

Sunwall Trailhead

Sycamore Flats

Upper Cove Creek Roadside Campsites

US276 Picnic Areas

Wash Creek Horse Camp

Wash Creek Roadside Campsites

White Pines Group Camp

Wolf Ford Horse Camp

Yellow Gap roadside campsites

Appalachian Ranger District

AT Deer Park Shelter

AT Flint Mountain Shelter

AT Groundhog Creek Shelter

AT Hogback Ridge Shelter

AT Hot Springs Trailhead

AT Jerry Cabin Shelter

AT Little Laurel Shelter

AT Overmountain Shelter

AT Overmountain Victory Trailhead

AT Roaring Fork Shelter

AT Spivey Gap Trailhead

AT Stan Murray Shelter

Big Butt Trailhead

Black Mountain Campground

Briar Bottom Group Camp

Buncombe Horse Trailhead

Carolina Hemlocks Campground

Carolina Hemlocks Picnic Area

Carolina Hemlocks Trailhead

Corner Rock Trailhead/Big Ivy parking

Douglas Falls Trailhead

Elk River Falls Trailhead

Fork Ridge Trailhead

Harmon Den Horse Camp

Hickey Fork Trailhead

Laurel River Trailhead

Max Patch Pond

Max Path Trailhead

Murray Branch Picnic Area

Poplar Boat Launch

Roan Mountain

Rocky Bluff Campground

Shinbone Trailhead

Shope Creek Parking Area

Silvermine Trailhead

South Toe Trailhead (Mt. Mitchell Trailhead)

Stackhouse Boat Launch

Walker Creek Trailhead

Grandfather Ranger District

Boone Fork Pond

Brown Mountain OHV Trailhead

Brown Mountain Roadside Campsites

Catawba Falls Trailhead

Curtis Creek Campground

Curtis Creek Roadside Campsites

Hawksbill Trailhead

Linville Falls Trailhead

Linville Gorge Cabin

Mortimer Campground

Mortimer Picnic Area

Spence Ridge Trailhead

Tablerock Picnic Area and Trailhead

Toms Creek Falls Trailhead

Upper Creek Falls Trailhead

Wilson Creek Day Use Area (as indicated on map)

Wolfpit Trailhead

Road closures

The following roads are closed in the Pisgah Ranger District: Lickstone Road (97), Courthouse Creek Road (140), Pilot Mountain Road (229), Headwaters Road (475B), Avery Creek Road (477), Bent Creek Road (479), Powhatan Access Road (481), Black Balsam Road (816), Yellow Gap Road (1206) and Wash Creek Road (5000).

In the Appalachian Ranger District: Stony Fork Road (63), Hawksbill Creek Road (63A), Big Ivy Road, FS Road (74), South Toe River Road, (472A) and Neals Creek Road (2074).

In the Grandfather Ranger District: Table Rock Road (99), Mortimer R.A. Road (116), Chestnut Mountain Road (198), Steeles Creek Road (228), Brown Mountain Road (299), Marks Mountain (451), Old Fort Road (460), Lost Cove Road (464A), Curtis Creek Road (482), New Gingercake Road (496), Mortimer Piedmont Road (982), Boone Fork Road (2055), Carroll Creek Road (4096) and Pearcy Creek Road (4101).

Elizabeth Anne Brown is the trending news reporter for the Citizen Times. Reach her at eabrown@citizentimes.com, or follow her on Twitter @eabrown18.