Read our post on Hurricane Helene one year later
In September 2024, Hurricane Helene barreled through western North Carolina causing unprecedented damage, including to the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. The storm brought down thousands of trees, created washouts, landslides and many other hazards in the mountain region. Through much hard work, recovery is underway throughout the region and on the MST.
As of mid-October 2025, all but about 38 miles of the trail from Kuwohi to Stone Mountain State Park has reopened or has viable walking detours. We are humbled by the work done by Friends’ volunteers, along with National Park Service and US Forest Service staffs and contractors. In the most damaged areas along the Blue Ridge Parkway, between Mt. Mitchell and NC 80, access remains impossible, and our volunteers, although willing, have not been able to restore the trail. Between Asheville and Mt. Mitchell, although the road has recently reopened, the current government shutdown has restricted our ability to assess and repair trail, so several of those sections remain closed. Please continue to follow guidance from Friends of the MST and land managers as to whether a trail is open for hiking.
Trail Status Information
In addition, the Blue Ridge Parkway has created a detailed Hurricane Helene page with information about the road status, including before and after images of a few cleanup locations.
MST Completions
Friends of the MST has resumed recognizing new completions of the trail even when the mountains were not completed before the storm.
The remaining closed portions are mainly in one 60-mile stretch between the Folk Art Center in Asheville and US 221, which can be bypassed easily with a vehicle shuttle. Some sections of the trail within this stretch are open but accessible from only one end. Because these distances are not significant compared to the overall length of the trail, and completion of the open sections would require backtracking, we do not currently require them.
Therefore, in order for Friends of the MST to recognize a valid completion, the hiker must have walked (or, where allowed, biked or paddled) all sections of the trail between Kuwohi and the Folk Art Center, and between US 221 and Jockey’s Ridge, including any recognized detours. Contact Jim Grode at jgrode@mountainstoseatrail.org for guidance regarding crossing the North Fork of the Catawba River in Segment 4.
Although the bypassed section is not currently required for completion, it includes some of the most beautiful and rewarding stretches of the trail, and we strongly encourage completers to return and fill in the gaps when they reopen.
Trail Angels or commercial shuttle services may be available to assist with bypassing the closed section. As a reminder, we maintain a list of all commercial shuttle services we are aware of, and the list of our Trail Angels is available to registered hikers.
Thank You!
Huge thanks to all the Friends of the MST volunteers, staff and contractors with the US Forest Service and National Park Service and many others who have worked countless hours to restore and reopen the MST. There is still much work to do and we will sound the call when more help is needed.
