Mountains-to-Sea Trail reopens near Asheville after Helene repairs
A reopened Asheville stretch restores trail access after Helene, as more than 95% of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is now open in the mountains.
A popular stretch of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail near Asheville is open again after repairs from Hurricane Helene cleared away blowdowns, washouts and landslides that had cut off parts of the route. Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail says the reopening is part of a broader recovery that has pushed the mountains section of the trail to more than 95% reopened, a sharp rebound from more than 45% in March 2025.
The work mattered well beyond one footpath. Helene struck western North Carolina on Sept. 27, 2024 after making landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, then dumped up to 30 inches of rain in localized areas and brought peak sustained winds of up to 60 miles per hour, according to the National Park Service. Thousands of trees came down, and the storm left a trail of washouts, landslides and other hazards across the Blue Ridge Parkway corridor and nearby trail systems.
Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail said the Asheville corridor recovery included a weeklong trail blitz led by Carolina Mountain Club in partnership with the Blue Ridge Parkway and Friends of the MST. Volunteers traveled from as far away as Ohio, and the effort drew support from Ingles Markets. The restoration also depended on National Park Service staff, U.S. Forest Service crews, contractors, land managers and local volunteers working side by side to make the route passable again.
The reopening fits into a larger recovery story for the Blue Ridge Parkway, which the National Park Service describes as a critical artery for community connectivity, tourism and community identity. The Parkway identified at least 57 landslides of varying complexity across nearly 200 miles in North Carolina after Helene, and more than 500 emergency support staff were deployed to assess the damage and clear debris. As segments of the Parkway reopened, trail crews were able to return to places that had been inaccessible for months.
More work remains. Friends of the MST said the longest remaining closed stretch in spring 2026 runs from Mount Mitchell State Park to Highway 80 north of Marion. The National Park Service expects that Parkway segment to reopen by the end of 2026, which would then allow trail crews to begin rehabbing that area. In Linville Gorge, the section around the bridge over the North Fork of the Catawba River is still closed until a new bridge can be installed in 2027.
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