The official site of the North Carolina Horse Council

Sue Gray
Executive Director
NC Horse Council

Dear Ms. Gray;

Morrow Mountain State Park is preparing to renovate portions of its 16-mile system of bridle trails. As a park visitor or as a representative of trail users, your help in spreading the word of this project and temporary trail closure would be greatly appreciated. I have enclosed two documents for display and dissemination.

In 2012, a contractor will be rerouting almost 2 miles of bridle trail resulting in a 0.8-mile trail increase. Improvements to the trailhead and parking lot will be completed along with the trail work. During the trail work, and for a period of time after completion, the entire bridle trail system will be closed to all recreational users. This closure will be for multiple weeks. The timetable for the project has not been confirmed but the work and closure could begin as early as mid-February.

At the completion of this project, Morrow Mountain State Park will be implementing a park-specific Inclement Weather Closure policy. The new policy is intended to protect the entire bridle trail system from damage that can result from the use of the trail during wet conditions. Once the trail construction is complete and we implement this new policy, trail status will be posted within the park and on the park's page of the website www.ncparks.gov.

I appreciate your assistance in helping to circulate this information. If you or anyone you come into contact with has questions about this project, please contact me at the Morrow Mountain State Park office. It is our hope that the new sections of trail and the new closure policy will help to enhance trail riding within Morrow Mountain State Park.

Sincerely,
Jason C Gwinn
Jason C. Gwinn, Park Superintendent
Morrow Mountain State Park
49104 Morrow Mountain Rd
Albemarle, NC 28001
704-982-4402
Fax: 704-982-5323
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Division of Parks and Recreation
Beverly Eaves Perdue, Governor Lewis R. Ledford, Director Dee Freeman, Secretary

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BRIDLE TRAIL CLOSURE IN 2012:
As part of a trail project involving four N.C. state parks, Morrow Mountain will reroute three sections of the bridle trail system in 2012. These reroutes will replace 1.79 miles of trail with 2.67 miles of trail. The entire bridle trail system will be closed during construction and for a period after construction to allow the new trail to compact and harden naturally. Due to the project involving four different parks, the timetable is uncertain but work may begin as early as mid-February 2012.

The sections being rerouted are as follows:
 The section of trail from the bridle trail parking lot to the intersection with the Short Loop
 The section of the Short Loop from the Morrow Mountain Road crossing to the intersection with the Morrow Mountain Trail
 The section of the Long Loop from the area before the Kron House to the crossing of the Lake Road.
The project will also create a single trailhead in the southern portion of the parking lot, eliminating the trail access in the southeast and northwest corners of the parking lot.
At the completion of this project, an inclement weather closure policy will be put into place. The inclement weather closure policy is designed to protect the park's natural resources and protect the bridle trail system by prolonging the life of the trails while keeping them safer for all users.

INCLEMENT WEATHER CLOSURE POLICY INFORMATION:
In order to prevent resource damage and better maintain bridle trails, it shall be the policy of Morrow Mountain State Park to close the entire Bridle Trail System when park staff determines that conditions exist such that normal use of the trails would result in damage to the trail surface.

The main anticipated cause of closure is wet weather and wet trail surfaces. When sufficient precipitation is received and the ground is wet to a point that normal use of the trail would promote erosion and trail surface damage, the trail will be closed to all users until park staff determines that normal use will not damage the trail. Park staff will open and close the trail in a consistent method to provide reasonable trail and resource protection while also providing recreational opportunities.

The trail will be closed by the physical blocking of the trailhead. Trail status can be determined by calling the park office during business hours or by visiting the Morrow Mountain State Park section of the Division of Parks and Recreation website, www.ncparks.gov. The closure will be enforceable under 15A NCAC 12B.1201(c).

For further information please contact the park office at 704-982-4402.