Pilot Mountain State Park has been closed since Friday, but people are still showing up to hike, much to the dismay of Matt Windsor, the park's superintendent.
A fierce combination of ice, snow, freezing rain and wind has made a mess of the park, Windsor said. On Friday, about 5 inches of snow fell and an inch of ice formed on trees in the upper elevations of the park.
"Any time Winston had rain, we had freezing rain," Windsor said.
Since Friday, he and a crew of five park employees have spent long hours clearing trees and branches from the park's main road and hiking trails. Trees in the upper portion of the park are still covered in ice.
"All we've been doing is cutting trees," he said.
Yesterday's combination of ice and snow didn't help cleanup efforts. Today's expected high winds, combined with the water-soaked soil, means that more trees will likely fall. The National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Va., said that wind gusts could reach as high as 38 mph.
Windsor said he doesn't expect the park to open again until the weekend, at the earliest.
Although the front gate to the park is closed, people have been parking along the side of the road and hiking in, something that Windsor discourages.
Employees have had to take time from their work to help people get around fallen trees, which Windsor said ultimately delays the reopening of the park.
Rangers would also have a hard time reaching hikers if they should get into trouble, he said.
Stone Mountain State Park reopened yesterday after being closed the previous four days. Heavy snowfall, rather than ice, forced the park to close. The main trail to the summit of Stone Mountain remains closed because of snow.
Hanging Rock State Park is also open, but the trails are covered with snow and ice.
lo'donnell@wsjournal.com
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