Several popular outdoor recreation areas in Southwest Virginia — including Mount Rogers and more than half of the Virginia Creeper Trail — will remain closed while crews address the damage done by the remnants of Hurricane Helene.
The U.S. Forest Service on Wednesday announced that the Clinch Ranger District and the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area could remain closed through Oct. 1, 2025, according to a news release. The recreation area borders Grayson Highlands State Park, which is expected to reopen by Oct. 14.
More than 90 miles of the Appalachian Trail is within the affected area, as is an 18-mile stretch of the Virginia Creeper Trail, from the North Carolina state line to Drowning Fork Road. Forest Service staff identified 10 trestles on the Creeper Trail that have washed away in that segment and others that have been severely damaged, the Forest Service said in a Facebook post.
The portion of the Creeper Trail from Abingdon to the Alvarado station reopened Wednesday, and the section that runs from that station to near the Food City in Damascus is expected to reopen in about three weeks, according to Abingdon Town Manager Mike Cochran.
He said trees and debris have been cleared from the Abingdon portion of the trail over the last few days and some repairs were made, including to Trestle No. 2.
The Forest Service will assess damage to the Damascus portion of the trail over the next several days, Lisa Quigley, executive director of the Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy, said Wednesday.
The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests began working Saturday to open up forest roads with access to private homes and recreation facilities, according to the news release.
The next phases of work will be to continue assessing conditions and to begin recovery activities, the release said.
Staff writer Susan Cameron contributed information to this report.
