What Went Wrong on Hurricane Creek?

[@tonyscorsase-pu7vx]

It is a one way trail, starting as you leave I 40. Someone was going the wrong way.

[@MrMrsregor]

it is NOT a one way trail ! it is a national forest road ! most people go north, but there is no rule, sign, law, or anything indicating that it is one way.!. the problem is over exposure and it is over used. the Nantahala national forest used to have thousand of miles of trails that have all been closed, so, all of the remaining people that want to explore just get funneled onto this one trail. 5or10 years ago, there was no one on that trail. last year when i drove it, we were stuck in traffic for hours behind a toyota club from charlotte. there are now new gates at both ends of this trail and they will probably start closing this road during the winter months like the rest of our "public" land in NC.

[@kdard89]

We had a great time even only doing half the trail. Thanks for allowing us to tag along. Always a fun time.

[@TealOxAdv]

Indeed, it is always fun riding with y'all. Thanks for tagging along.

[@backwoodstherapy]

Ha... I went with a local jeep group about a month ago. Came from the max patch area and left at I-40. I'd never heard of this trail before and had no idea until now that the generally "accepted" way to go is to start at I-40. But yeah, that many jeeps is really too many.

[@JEEP-N-DIRT]

I just caught that trail in peak fall foliage on my new channel jeepNdirt and to my surprise no one in the trail. My wife asked"what happens if someone comes the other way". Lol, I just showed her your answer. Great video and great attitude. Real jeeple work together. Good stuff man. God Bless you guys.

[@TealOxAdv]

The foliage really adds to the beauty of an already beautiful ride. Oncoming traffic can definitely be a challenge. We will definitely checkout your video. Thank you.

[@TealOxAdv]

I forgot, we watched that video. 😂 Loved it. Buzzards Roost is fun too. 😳

[@Tazzspaz]

In a practical sense if one goes north to south or opposite what is considered one-way you get dumped out directly on I-40 without an entrance ramp. That is a pretty difficult way to get on the highway let alone for a group of vehicles. This should really be fixed to add better signage. Someone could get hurt.

[@TealOxAdv]

Great point.

[@84shortyota]

Please stop taking big groups down this trail. It's been on the verge of closure for years. More people equals more damage to the trail and more possibility of littering and off-trail driving. We have so few trails left in NC. Want to go with a big group? Go to windrock or another park designed for heavy use. Trails like these are not maintained very well to deal with the extra use. They will all be closed down one day if this continues to happen.

[@TealOxAdv]

We agree. This not a trail for large group rides. For the record, we were in a group of four Jeeps. We TREAD Lightly and follow the leave no trace practice. In fact, you can see us picking up trash in the video.

[@maximus1720]

Be careful entering the trail at night, that turn is sharp and the shoulder is very narrow

[@TealOxAdv]

Great point. It is not for the faint of heart in the day time.

[@daviddawkins2272]

how about a one way sign at the entrance off i40?

[@TealOxAdv]

It technically isn’t a one-way road, but it is typically traversed from I-40 up the hill.

[@timjchick]

That was a big trail traffic jam. Bummer.

[@TealOxAdv]

It was a bit of a bummer, but sometimes those kinds of rides create more lasting memories. We’re working on a video from the full trail from a recent trip that will be out soon.

[@dutzit1]

So is this just a 1 way or is there no outlet so you have to come back the same way? I am confused.

[@TealOxAdv]

It is a through road, but is only one vehicle wide for most of the way. It is commonly accepted that you enter from I-40 to go up the trail. What made it bad was two large group’s meeting going opposite directions. It’s not really a good trail fir a large group in any direction.

[@Ridesaway24]

Looks like you had a busy couple of months - awesome adventures. What a mess! Sounds like no injuries or critical damage. Was this a weekend?

[@TealOxAdv]

We try to stay busy and on a trail as much as possible. We love being outdoors as can probably tell. Correct, everyone left the trail in one piece. This was a Friday, but I think because of the Jeep Invasion, it was more crowded than normal.

[@codermarc]

Did that group ever say why they were going the wrong way? It is a one way trail, and you all were doing it right.

[@TealOxAdv]

We never spoke directly to them, but they had told everyone else that they did not believe it was a one-way trail. Regardless, it was not a good idea to take 25 Jeeps together on a trail like that.

[@MrMrsregor]

it is NOT a one way trail ! it is a national forest road ! most people go north, but there is no rule, sign, law, or anything indicating that it is one way.!. the problem is over exposure and it is over used. the Nantahala national forest used to have thousand of miles of trails that have all been closed, so, all of the remaining people that want to explore just get funneled onto this one trail. 5or10 years ago, there was no one on that trail. last year when i drove it, we were stuck in traffic for hours behind a toyota club from charlotte. there are now new gates at both ends of this trail and they will probably start closing this road during the winter months like the rest of our "public" land in NC.

[@TealOxAdv]

Yep. The problem wasn’t so much the direction of travel, but the size of the groups. Hopefully, people will use common sense and practice the TREAD Lightly principles so everyone can continue to have a chance to enjoy great trails like this.

[@opie2.0henry_chancesR]

@@MrMrsregor yes it is a one way trail.. there is just no sign on max patch side stating that it is.. the only sign is a lil ways up ( off of I-40) off to the right hand side of the trail saying that it is a one way trail.

[@MrMrsregor]

@@opie2.0henry_chancesR I have been there more times than I can count. I have never seen a sign. If there is one it must be very new….

[@tonyfuller-ts4jq]

No need to have 25 jeeps in a group

[@TealOxAdv]

Definitely agree. Especially on a trail like that.

[@Sflhunter]

Still no answers on of its a 1 way trail !?!?

[@TealOxAdv]

It is not legally a one way trail, but it is recognized as one way (going uphill) by most users and the locals. Regardless, it is not an appropriate trail for large groups in either direction. It is a fairly long and narrow trail with few options for passing.

[@opie2.0henry_chancesR]

Yes it's a one way trail.. the correct way to hit it is from I-40.. with that said there is not sign on max patch rd saying that.. so you don't know unless you read the sign that is up not to far off the interstate

[@opie2.0henry_chancesR]

@@TealOxAdv it is recognized as a one way trail.. people just don't abide by it and if your see it on max patch side there is no sign stating that it is.. the only sign that says anything about it is on the right hand side of the trail not to awful far off the interstate..

[@TealOxAdv]

We definitely agree with your understanding. Regardless of going the accepted direction or not, we don’t think it’s a good idea to have more than 5-6 vehicles in a group due to the issues with passing.

[@appalachhaun_adventures]

Why can people not pick up their dang trash!!!!!?? That stinks you couldn’t finish the trail going up

[@TealOxAdv]

We agree. It’s very frustrating to see how much trash is out on the trails and in the forests. Even though we didn’t make it to the top, we had a great time and made some great memories. Sometimes it’s the days that don’t go as expected that make the best memories.