Hurricane Creek

jimdentoniv

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2010
Location
Newport, TN
Has anyone heard anything about the land owners up there getting the road gated due to the increase in traffic through there? I've heard that the land owners have complained so much the the FS has agreed to put up gates. Gate find any info on the web anywhere, maybe just a rumor I don't know.
 
Gates up, but forest service is being a pain to land owners about giving them access to their property. Nick has more info

Edit: they were suppose to close gates Jan. 1

I planed on hunting up there in the next weekend or two anyways so I’ll know soon enough about gates being closed
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So are we talking gates blocking Hurricane Creek Trail or gates to keep people off of private property along hurricane creek?
 
Damn this sucks. Their closing more roads every day. Their supposedly closing the way you get to wolf creek falls off of Rattlesnake Gap too.
 
Because I am ignorant of the area. Is this like Pisgah? Or UNF dirt roads?
Government owned for public preservation and use........closed for "our protection"?
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
Because I am ignorant of the area. Is this like Pisgah? Or UNF dirt roads?
Government owned for public preservation and use........closed for "our protection"?
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if I’m thinking correctly it’s us forest service.

Either way hurricane creek, harmin den and the 12 mile all fall into the 12,000 acre area that has been approved and funded for elk improvement area to create more habitat. Another friend who also owns property down there and has been in the loop from the get go says the area (hurricane) is going to be logged in several different area, also the state has wanted to close the access from the interstate for some time since it isn’t an exit and is fairly unsafe to exit enter interstate. He was informed that they would connect hurricane with a road from the harmin den exit. That is a pretty feasible task since me and nick walked it turkey hunting and you could cut a couple trees and be able to take a 4wheel almost there as the old logging road is now.

Some are saying it’s closed for good others are saying it will be like a lot of other forest service roads and be opened during large game seasons.

Either way big problem is forest service is trying to strong arm land owners to not having access. As far as I’ve been told no land owner has signed the agreement to get a key to get through the gate to access their property, some haven’t even received info on it. So I don’t see how they can legally lock gate. Some land owners are getting lawyers while others have said gates will be “dealt with”


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This is what I know. Hurricane Creek Rd used to be a public road. The county did not want to maintain it or take ownership of it even though for years Sheriffs could/would meet you up there on either end if they received phone calls of illegal activities and state that it was a county road. So now word has it that the Forest Service (Lord help us) has taken ownership of the road. Having 100s of Jeeps/Toyotas/Samurais or whatever come rolling through every weekend has tore the road back up and they are tired of fixing it. Thus enter the gates on either end to limit access. The gates are now up but not locked. The Forest Service recognizes NC law that states you cannot block access to private property. They have sent out a "permit application". I haven't received mine yet because they had my old address but I'll get it at some point. From what I've seen from the other land owners it's the Forest Service's attempt to control the gates and (put on tinfoil hat) to reacquire the land.

They have stated they want to log the area, which I'm fine with. They want to cut in a new road and use it as go between the Harmen Den exit and Hurricane Creek. This of course, will be for their use only but I was hoping in the future to be able to use it. Anyway, none of the landowners will sign the permit application. It's only good for so long and you have to reapply periodically. If you don't reapply in a timely manner they claim you will not have access, which goes against NC law. There's other BS like no ATV use and you cannot remove timber of vegetation. I think they just threw something out there to see if it would stick. the landowners basically told them to pound sand. Also, one said that if they did lock the gate he would bring his tractor down there and rip it out of the ground.

To me it looks pretty ominous to the non-landowner. They will lock the gates at some point. If I've learned anything from those assholes over the years is that if they put gates up, it's only a matter of time. When that is, I don't know. We'll continue to fight the good fight and try and agree to keys only with no permit. I'm not sure how that will fly but we've got at least one deep pocket owner who could hire the firepower to back them off but I'm not sure if he will. If I find anything else out I'll let you know but as of right now it's open.
 
That's similar to the trail in Robbinsville, NC, some years back. Most of the road was Public, with landowners on it. One portion or access was Forest Ser. Land owners didn't like having anyone around, & i think they complained to Forest Ser. At 1 point several of CTB member were ticketed for trespass, by Forest Ser., On the Public road/trail! Wasn't long after that, more gates, legal or not, were put up. Never knew the Exact details, but we gave it up, as It wasn't worth the trouble.
 
McCracken said:
This is what I know. Hurricane Creek Rd used to be a public road. The county did not want to maintain it or take ownership of it even though for years Sheriffs could/would meet you up there on either end if they received phone calls of illegal activities and state that it was a county road. So now word has it that the Forest Service (Lord help us) has taken ownership of the road. Having 100s of Jeeps/Toyotas/Samurais or whatever come rolling through every weekend has tore the road back up and they are tired of fixing it. Thus enter the gates on either end to limit access. The gates are now up but not locked. The Forest Service recognizes NC law that states you cannot block access to private property. They have sent out a "permit application". I haven't received mine yet because they had my old address but I'll get it at some point. From what I've seen from the other land owners it's the Forest Service's attempt to control the gates and (put on tinfoil hat) to reacquire the land.

They have stated they want to log the area, which I'm fine with. They want to cut in a new road and use it as go between the Harmen Den exit and Hurricane Creek. This of course, will be for their use only but I was hoping in the future to be able to use it. Anyway, none of the landowners will sign the permit application. It's only good for so long and you have to reapply periodically. If you don't reapply in a timely manner they claim you will not have access, which goes against NC law. There's other BS like no ATV use and you cannot remove timber of vegetation. I think they just threw something out there to see if it would stick. the landowners basically told them to pound sand. Also, one said that if they did lock the gate he would bring his tractor down there and rip it out of the ground.

To me it looks pretty ominous to the non-landowner. They will lock the gates at some point. If I've learned anything from those assholes over the years is that if they put gates up, it's only a matter of time. When that is, I don't know. We'll continue to fight the good fight and try and agree to keys only with no permit. I'm not sure how that will fly but we've got at least one deep pocket owner who could hire the firepower to back them off but I'm not sure if he will. If I find anything else out I'll let you know but as of right now it's open.
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It would have been nice to know about the county wanting to give the road to the FS, maybe a group of people could have gotten together and begged them not to. That's how they have kept the Rubicon Trail open this long is because it's a county road even though the fs out there has been trying to get them to close it.
 
rodney eppes said:
That's similar to the trail in Robbinsville, NC, some years back. Most of the road was Public, with landowners on it. One portion or access was Forest Ser. Land owners didn't like having anyone around, & i think they complained to Forest Ser. At 1 point several of CTB member were ticketed for trespass, by Forest Ser., On the Public road/trail! Wasn't long after that, more gates, legal or not, were put up. Never knew the Exact details, but we gave it up, as It wasn't worth the trouble.
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Was probably after the road was featured in a major magazine article.
 
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Does this mean NC vehicles only? I'm confused.
 
I apologize in advance for kicking a two-year old thread, but I'm planning a trip to run the BRP in May (coming from SW Florida) and the Hurricane Trail was on the to-do list. I just stumbled on this thread and I'm curious if there is any update regarding the HT? Open or closed to public? NC Residents only as the sign above says? Again, I apologize for the reboot but would appreciate any updates you may have. Thanks, David.
 
dbl said:
I apologize in advance for kicking a two-year old thread, but I'm planning a trip to run the BRP in May (coming from SW Florida) and the Hurricane Trail was on the to-do list. I just stumbled on this thread and I'm curious if there is any update regarding the HT? Open or closed to public? NC Residents only as the sign above says? Again, I apologize for the reboot but would appreciate any updates you may have. Thanks, David.
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It is open without issue. But stay on the obvious trail. Going off the trail means trespassing and that's a huge no-no.
Enjoy it! It's pretty fun.
 
Jody Treadway said:
It is open without issue. But stay on the obvious trail. Going off the trail means trespassing and that's a huge no-no.
Enjoy it! It's pretty fun.
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Thank you Jody. Is it something that can be done solo or better to have a riding partner (as it usually is)? Should mention Jeep JK 2-door, 2.5" lift on 35's.
 
dbl said:
Thank you Jody. Is it something that can be done solo or better to have a riding partner (as it usually is)? Should mention Jeep JK 2-door, 2.5" lift on 35's.
Click to expand...
It's very mild, but having a second rig can't hurt.
Post ride, check out Ferguson's General Store for some great tater wedges and grilled stuff.
 
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