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A washed-out bridge taught me to check trail conditions.
Last spring, I planned a loop in the Smokies. I didn't look up recent weather reports. Halfway through, we found a key bridge was gone. The river was too high to cross safely. We had to detour ten extra miles in the rain. Now I always check park alerts before heading out. It saves a lot of trouble and keeps trips on track.
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eric_schmidt7mo ago
Absolutely right, that's the kind of mistake you only make once. I had a similar thing happen years ago out west, got all the way to a trailhead only to find the whole area was closed for bear activity. Felt like such a waste of a drive. Now I'm a bit obsessive about checking those official pages, and even the recent hiker comments. A few minutes of research can save a whole day.
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oscar_lopez7mo ago
Always check the forest service alerts page. Learned it the hard way with a washed out bridge last spring. Drove two hours for a trail that was straight up gone. Now I refresh that page like it's my job before any trip.
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