Bear encounter closes Graveyard Fields camping

(March 20, 2015) -- The U.S. Forest Service is temporarily closing the Graveyard Fields Area to overnight camping. Issued in consultation with the N.C. Wildlife Commission, the popular area off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Haywood County, about 40 miles southwest of Asheville, has been implemented due to human safety concerns after a bear entered a tent and removed a hiker's backpack.