A swimming and fishing area in the Pisgah National Forest is getting a little too popular, Caldwell County leaders say.
Sheriff’s deputies tell Channel 9’s Dave Faherty that the Wilson Creek area attracts so many visitors that they had to close the road leading to it last weekend.
Faherty found most of the nearly 140 parking spaces were full, and families were still arriving from as far away as Charlotte and South Carolina.
“We come every weekend like in the summer. We love this place,” said Wilbur Ramos. “The water is perfect for us.”
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But this weekend, officers had to close the road because there were twice as many cars as parking spaces. Due to overcrowding, the sheriff’s office has assigned a half-dozen deputies to patrol the area on weekends. That costs the province more than 100,000 euros.
Another concern in the Pisgah National Forest is the amount of trash piling up along Wilson Creek. Caldwell County disposed of 35,000 pounds of waste along the creek last year.
“There’s a big influx of people coming in from out of county. Roads are blocked,” said Maj. Kevin Bean with the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office. “Yesterday between 1pm and 5pm there were 488 cars in the gorge where there should be 200 parking spaces.”
Monday morning, Faherty saw fallen portable toilets. Delegates discussed their concerns about getting first responders through the area in the event of an emergency.
“For those people that need an ambulance or a fire truck or something like that, the roads are blocked and they can’t get through without guidance from us, and it just becomes a real problem,” Bean said.
The US Forest Service is working with the county and local nonprofits to improve parking and facilities. They will also receive public input on a possible permit system for the parking lots. There is a meeting with Keep Wilson Creek Wild and Scenic on Tuesday. County commissioners and Congresswoman Virginia Foxx will talk to the community to try to find a solution.
Sarah Shepherd found Wilson Creek on Memorial Day by looking up popular swimming holes in the area.
“It’s beautiful. It’s exactly like the pictures,” she said. “It’s still quite busy and that will probably only increase. We just texted our friends who were going to meet us. That might be a no-go.”
(WATCH: Family helps rescue man and son from Wilson Creek)
