A Look Back

Your support in 2024 made a difference on Grandfather Mountain. Thank you!

Despite the significant impact of Hurricane Helene, 2024 was full of festivities and excitement. Many wonderful events were hosted across the mountain and we enjoyed celebrating the opening of the Ginny Burton Education and Animal Care Facility with staff and friends of the mountain. We also announced that Yonni’s Clubhouse will be opening in 2025! We have much to be thankful for. Here’s a look back at some of the highlights from the past year.

New Kiosk Offers Behind-the-Scenes Views of Cougars
We added behind-the-scenes habitat cameras and a new kiosk with television screens at the cougar overlook, giving guests more opportunities to see these elusive animals. It’s fun to see Logan and Trinity snuggled up in their dens. Read more.

Grandfather Mountain’s Summer Reading List
To accompany our Grandfather Presents speaker series in 2024, we launched a summer reading list. Speakers included extreme angler and biologist Jeremy Wade, journalist and author Richard Louv, retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall and ecologist and explorer CanopyMeg. Read more.

Conservation Campus Expands With a New Education and Animal Care Facility
In July, we opened the Ginny Burton Education and Animal Care Facility. The space is tailored to the needs of Grandfather’s growing education and habitat teams. While the new space is not open to general guests, it is a stop on Behind-the-Scenes Tours (one of the mountain’s special add-on experiences) offered by habitat staff. Read more.

Hurricane Helene and Grandfather Mountain
Due to the impacts of Hurricane Helene, Grandfather Mountain was closed Sept. 26 through Oct. 22. The storm left behind unimaginable effects on the communities surrounding Grandfather Mountain. The nature park was extremely fortunate to receive only minor damage. The nonprofit Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation immediately turned its focus from park operations to humanitarian efforts in Avery County. Read more.

Hawk Watch 2024 Report
While Grandfather Mountain’s annual Hawk Watch – a vast citizen-science project during the month of September to count and identify the numerous species of raptors making their journey to warmer climates – was cut short in 2024 due to Hurricane Helene, staff and volunteers were still able to conduct a solid count overall. Read more.

A New Interactive Education Center for Young Explorers Announced
The hands-on science and environmental education center, called Yonni’s Clubhouse, will be geared toward children ages 5 to 12 and is set to open next to the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery in the second half of 2025. Read more.

Our education and natural resources staff members were also hard at work last year providing outreach opportunities for schools, interactive experiences for groups and optimal visits for park guests. Here are just a few of those highlights:

967 students awarded Field Trip Scholarships
2.65% increase over 2023

12,599 students served with Educational Programs and Outreach
52.03% increase over 2023

1,110 hours dedicated to Trail Maintenance
137.18% increase over 2023