National Forest "Forest Service" roads (mostly North Carolina but any welcome)

Just a thread for sharing general information, reports, pics, and whatever. Let the BS fly!

I want to start traveling the national forest service roads in Western NC and thought we could have a thread for people to share their experience.


What are national Forest "forest service" roads?
The national forest "Forest Service" roads are gravel and dirt public roads throughout the national Forest of NC. They are kind of like a gravel blue ridge parkway (just not at the top of the mountain usually). They travel through some great areas, and Lots of camp sites along them too.

From the USDA forest service website:

"The estimated 380,000 miles of classified Forest Service roads on National Forest System lands are extensive and diverse. Most of the existing road system was built over the last 50 years for timber harvest and log removal. In the decades after World War II, logging traffic tripled, peaking in 1990. But when timber harvests on the national forests declined in the 1990's, logging traffic fell to 1950 levels. By contrast, recreation forest road use has grown to 10 times its 1950 rate. Driving for pleasure is the single largest recreational use of Forest Service managed lands with more than 1.7 million vehicles using those roads each day to visit national forests." https://www.fs.fed.us/eng/road_mgt/overview.shtml


Vehicle use maps

Maps of the roads in the national Forest. Notice "sr" with numbers following means "state road" usually paved. The numbers with no letter in front are the "forest service" roads, usually gravel ,
https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/nfsnc/recreation/ohv

Quick example of the maps.
Sr= state road
Brp= blue ridge parkway
Just numbers are forest service roads






Hopefully I'll get up there and post some pics soon.

 

Lots of good spots off 5000 for legal camping and fishing. Not much to see in terms of mountain view’s. Easy gravel drive all the way to the BRP. I go there often cause it’s 15 minutes away.