MOUNTAIN REST, S.C. -- A scenic mountaintop, more than 100 acres of family property, is virtually landlocked after the US Forest Service demolished the logging roads that provided access. The Rankin and Fowler families own more than 100 acres of land near Mountain Rest. Some of it has been in their families for more than 70 years. This week the Forest Service determined that the old logging roads leading into that land were "illegal" and demolished them. The owners say the government went too far. "These roads are not hurting the forest system, this is not about that. They're overstepping their bounds. They have a history of it," said Doug Rankin. The families said they used those roads well before the government bought the nearby land and, therefore, they still have a right to use them. The government will allow an internal "title claim" process to determine if the access will be reopened.
The WSPA-TV news report:
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