Abuse of the Max Patch bald, which offers 360-degree views near the North Carolina-Tennessee border, has led to several restrictions on use of the Pisgah National Forest recreation area “designed to reduce impacts to natural resources and protect public health and safety,” the National Forest Service announced this week.
A news release says restrictions include a ban on camping, fires and night-time visitation, and will be in effect for two years as use of the area is monitored.
“We’ve been working with partners to achieve sustainable recreation at Max Patch because of the impacts due to a significant increase in visitors over the past decade,” Appalachian District Ranger Jen Barnhart says in the news release. “Unfortunately, the level of use is causing a public safety hazard as well as serious damage to wildlife habitat.”
Past efforts of visitor education and engineering controls such as barriers and fencing have not been sufficient to address the challenges, the news release says.
Max Patch (elev. 4,629 feet) is a large, wide-open mountaintop meadow bisected by the Appalachian Trail. A 2.4-mile loop trail leads up from a parking lot and joins the AT before descening back to parking. On a clear day at the summit, you can see Mount Mitchell, the tallest peak east of the Mississippi (elev. 6,683 feet), and peaks of the Great Smokies to the south.
- See our full guide to Max Patch.
But reports of overuse and abuse at Max Patch began to surface in 2020. “The high-elevation bald meadow is being overrun by a new breed of camper using Max Patch as a party spot, leaving mounds of trash and toilet paper in their wake,” The Mountaineer reported in September. Backpacker.com followed up with, A Crowd of Campers Trashed Max Patch.
The aerial image below of Max Patch crowded by campers, credited to Mike Wurman, went viral.
Last summer, people were seen “climbing with coolers over fences that were made to keep people from destroying the fragile plant life at Max Patch, camping right on the Appalachian Trail, blasting loud music into the night and leaving trash, human waste and toilet paper in plain view,” the Citizen Times of Asheville reported in January. That report quoted Berhart as saying the multi-organization Max Patch Visitor Use Management Committee was discussing the possibilities of installing a bathroom, adding parking and limiting camping.
Among the restrictions announced this week:
- Visitors must stay on designated trails.
- The recreation area is closed from one hour after sundown to one hour before sunrise.
- Group size is limited to 10.
- Bikes are only allowed on roads.
- Dogs and other animals must be on leashes no longer than 6 feet, or in a crate or cage.
- Horses and other saddle and pack animals may not be ridden, hitched, tethered, or hobbled in the area.
Visit Our Sister Site
Carolina Music Festivals, a calendar and guide to music festivals in North Carolina.
Clayton NC Web Design