Water moves down the South Toe River much more quietly today than it did nearly two years ago, when Hurricane Helene sent high, rushing water through the watershed, reshaping beloved recreation areas and aquatic habitat.

Today, the river winds through the same landscape at a gentler pace. Around it, signs of recovery are beginning to emerge.

From Black Mountain Campground and surrounding trails to the cold-water habitat used by hellbenders and trout, nearly every part of the South Toe watershed on the Pisgah National Forest felt Helene’s effects. Recovery has taken many forms, from rebuilding recreation infrastructure, removing debris, to protecting wildlife and clearing trails.

Rebuilding Black Mountain Campground

(Top) Damaged Black Mountain Campground bridge and recreation area. (L) Crews assess damage to Black Mountain Campground after the storm. (R) Damaged powerlines and downed trees in Black Mountain Campground. (Top photo: Forest Service photo. Bottom photos: Forest Service photos by Jennifer Barnhart)

In February 2025, Alexandra Davison, developed recreation manager for the Appalachian Ranger District on the Pisgah National Forest, stepped carefully through what remained of Black Mountain Campground. The South Toe River flowed beneath her boots as she crossed the damaged remains of the campground bridge. Broken pavement, exposed pipes and debris surrounded her as she described the destruction.

“It’s nothing like we’ve ever seen before,” Davison said.

Nearly every part of the campground has been affected. The bridge, waterline, campsites, office, roads and trails were damaged. Large debris piles covered portions of the site, and the river loop had been washed away.

Today, visitors are once again returning to the beloved campground.

(L) Forest Service employees and partners pose for a photo in front of Black Mountain Campground on opening day, Sept. 25. (R) Jennifer Barnhart, Appalachian District ranger, cuts the opening ribbon to Black Mountain Campground. (Forest Service photo by Adam Rondeau)

Both Black Mountain and Briar Bottom campgrounds reopened September 25, 2026, nearly two years after Hurricane Helene. The opening was made possible thanks to many partners, including FIND Outdoors, which helped prepare the site and will once again operate the campground.

Recovery is still ongoing. The River Loop Trail and Briar Bottom bike trail will remain closed, though the River Loop area will be available for day use.

To coincide with the reopening of Black Mountain Campground, nearly four miles of South Toe River Road also reopened, beginning at Black Mountain Campground and extending towards the Blue Ridge Parkway.

“There were approximately four major landslides and numerous other minor ones repaired along South Toe Road,” said Layne Owen, National Forests in North Carolina bridge program manager.  “Several culverts were filled with debris and replaced. Approximately two miles of roadway had to be completely reconstructed along the road.”

On top of the damage to the campground, the storm left behind an enormous amount of debris. Over 6,700 tons of material were removed from the damaged campground bridge and transported to Neals Creek Field. From there, Forest Service timber and recreation specialists worked to develop a contract to process the debris through a biochar project, turning some of the storm’s remnants into a usable product. The biochar was partially used to rehabilitate the local community’s soil rather than sending the materials to waste.

Over 6,700 tons of debris was removed from Black Mountain Campground. Hurricane debris from Black Mountain Campground was turned to biochar. (Forest Service photos by Jennifer Barnhart)

Giving Hellbenders a Helping Hand

Recovery along the South Toe extends beyond roads, bridges and campgrounds.

Michael Knoerr, a Pisgah National Forest wildlife biologist, stepped into the river in waders alongside biologists from North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission, Clemson University and the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute.

They are in search for one of the Appalachian’s most distinct residents, the eastern hellbender.

Hurricane Helene arrived during a particularly vulnerable time for the species. Adult male hellbenders were guarding nests when floodwaters swept through the watershed, moving nest rocks, eggs and even adult hellbenders downstream or into the floodplain.

Now biologists are working to give the next generation a better chance.

(L) Wildlife biologist collects hellbender eggs. (R) Hellbender eggs in a clear tub of water. (Courtesy photos by Ben Dalton)

The team plans to collect hundreds of hellbender eggs and raise them at the Tennessee Aquarium through their vulnerable larva stage, increasing survival during those early months and ultimately helping strengthen the South Toe’s hellbender population.

“These animals depend on clean, cold water and are intolerant to blankets of sediment burying their gravel and cobble homes,” Knoerr said. “When a storm changes the river as dramatically as Helene did, even species designed to tolerate floods can take a major hit. Restoring the South Toe River and releasing head-started hellbenders into those places will make a difference.”

To support wildlife and the overall health of the watershed, The Nature Conservancy and Trout Unlimited have begun assessments that will help guide future restoration work. The information they collect will be used to develop a watershed restoration action plan focused on improving resilience, protecting aquatic habitat and identifying areas where restoration can have the greatest impact. The Nature Conservancy is also helping monitor turbidity, or cloudiness in the water, in the South Toe to better understand how sediment from Helene related landslides is affecting water quality. This information will also help to create a baseline that can determine the success of landslide stabilization activities.

Trails in a changed landscape

Trail crews and partners are continuing recovery work through the South Toe area.

A Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards crew has been repairing a major multi-acre landslide along the Higgins Bald Trail. The damage required construction of a large rock retaining wall, along with soil stabilization work coordinated with our National Forests in North Carolina botanists to help create lasting repairs.

“This is complex trail work,” Natalia Muglia, dispersed recreation program manager, said. “The landslides in this area significantly changed the landscape, and this project has required precise, large-scale drystone masonry and soil stabilization to create a repair that will last.”

Aside from the Higgins Bald Trail, wilderness crews have been hard at work completing several other South Toe trails damaged by Hurricane Helene. On Green Knob Trail, crews cleared fallen trees and installed new box steps near the trailhead. Meanwhile, work on the Buncombe Horse Range Trail, The Upper and Lower River Loop, Devils Den Nature Loop and Roaring Fork Trail have received drainage improvements, tread repair, retaining walls and stabilization of damaged slopes. While the repairs are being made, crews are capturing detailed surveys of the trails throughout the area to guide future recovery projects as funding, materials and crews become available.

Wild South has also been clearing storm debris from the South Toe River near the campground.

“One of the more challenging projects was removing an approximately 40-foot culvert located upstream of the campground,” said Halley Burleson, operations coordinator with Wild South. “The site could not be accessed with heavy equipment, so our crew spent several days cutting the culvert into manageable sections and hauling everything out by hand.”

In addition, North Carolina High Peaks, an all-volunteer trail maintenance and hiking club, has been working closely with us to clear Helene damage. Volunteers removed downed trees and debris from the extensive network of trails in the area, including Big Butt Trail, portions of the Mountains to Sea Trail, the Mt. Mitchell Trail and the Appalachian Trail near Spivey Gap.

“Some trails were completely blocked by downed trees stacked one atop the other in piles as high as 15 feet,” said John Whitehouse with North Carolina High Peaks. “We had to do a lot of technical sawing to safely clear them.  In some cases, the trail was so covered we had to send a crew member over or around the pile to find the trail on the other side then guide the sawyers on the correct path.”

Nearly two years after Helene, the South Toe area is still changing.

“Our partners and volunteers have played a huge role in helping us make progress and restore access throughout the area,” said Appalachian District Ranger Jennifer Barnhart.

Campgrounds are reopening. Biologists are helping vulnerable wildlife recover. Landslides and trails are being tended to.

Recovery is not happening all at once. It is happening project by project, with the South Toe River running through it.