Popular swimming area in Caldwell County being overrun, leaders say

CALDWELL COUNTY, N.C. — A swimming and fishing area in the Pisgah National Forest is getting a little too popular, leaders in Caldwell County are saying.

Sheriff’s deputies tell Channel 9′s Dave Faherty that the Wilson Creek area is getting so many visitors that they had to shut down the road that leads to it this past weekend.

Faherty found most of the nearly 140 parking spaces were filled up, and families were still arriving from as far away as Charlotte and South Carolina.

“We come like in summertime every weekend. We love this place,” Wilbur Ramos said. “The water is perfect for us.”

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But over the weekend, deputies had to close the road because there were twice as many cars as parking spots. Because of the overcrowding, the sheriff’s office has assigned a half-dozen deputies to patrol the area on the weekends. That’s costing the county more than $100,000.

Another area of concern in the Pisgah National Forest is the amount of trash piling up along Wilson Creek. Caldwell County hauled away 35,000 pounds of garbage along the creek last year.

“We have a high influx of people from out of county coming in. Roads are blocked,” said Maj. Kevin Bean with the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office. “Yesterday between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., there were 488 cars in the gorge where there should be 200 parking places.”

Monday morning, Faherty spotted overturned portable toilets. Deputies spoke about their concerns over getting first responders through the area in an emergency.

“For those folks that need an ambulance or a fire truck or something like that, the roads are blocked and they can’t get through without an escort from us, and it’s just becoming a real problem,” Bean said.

The U.S. Forest Service is working with the county and local nonprofits to improve parking and facilities. They’ll also get public input on a possible permit system for the parking spaces. On Tuesday, a meeting will be held with Keep Wilson Creek Wild and Scenic. County commissioners and Congresswoman Virginia Foxx will talk with the community to try and find a solution.

Sarah Shepherd found Wilson Creek on Memorial Day by looking up popular swimming holes nearby.

“It’s beautiful. It’s exactly like the pictures,” she said. “It’s still pretty crowded and probably only going to increase. We just texted our friends who were supposed to to meet us. That maybe is a no-go.”

(WATCH: Family helps save man, son from Wilson Creek)