Parkway closed at Mt. Mitchell

[Ashe County]

from MP 375 N of Asheville to Hwy 128 at Mt. Mitchell State Park due to an unstable slope which has produced a deep crack in the roadway. I seem to have procrastinated on going to Big Butt too long. I was waiting for a more favorable weather forecast which never came. It would have to get quite dry rather quickly to prevent an all time record rainfall year over most of this area.

[bbeduhn]

I'd planned on heading up to Mitchell this past weekend but the closure added some travel time and the rain didn't stop. The Parkway will be closed indefinitely. The crack is six feet deep in spots. Asheville is right at double the normal amount of rainfall it typically gets.

[Ashe County]

Hwy 194 in Avery County is closed now too. It actually failed and took out most of the road. Look! the sun is shining today.

[jamesrobertsmith]

Is access to Mitchell closed from both directions on the Parkway?

You can always climb Big Butt from 97. A much tougher hike, but actually far shorter than getting there from the Parkway.

Of course 97 is a gravel road. How is it faring under the constant rainfall?

I was thinking of hiking the entire Black Mountain Crest Trail as an overnighter. If access is limited, that's out of the question.

(I just checked the State Park website. Mitchell is open. You can also access the Big Butt Trail from 128 leading up to Mitchell by hiking the Mountains to Sea Trail to Graybeard Gap. Not a short hike, but it does give you another option if you're anxious to get to the area.)