Due to the impacts of Hurricane Helene, Grandfather Mountain was closed Sept. 26 through Oct. 22, 2024. The storm left behind unimaginable effects on the communities surrounding Grandfather Mountain. The nature park was extremely fortunate to receive only minor damage. A small number of trees fell during the storm, and only a few washouts or small landslides have been discovered. The mountain was impacted by the electricity, internet and cell signal outages that were widespread across the region in the weeks following the storm. A few days after Helene, the park was able to confirm that all staff and the mountain’s resident habitat animals were safe.
The nonprofit Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation immediately turned its focus from park operations to humanitarian efforts in Avery County. The organization worked with dozens of nonprofits (local to international), regional businesses, tourism colleagues, generous donors, good Samaritans and many others in an effort to bring relief to the mountain’s surrounding communities. A few examples of this work include purchasing generators and gas grills for community members in need, feeding local rescue crews, helping with grading repairs so flood-damaged businesses could get closer to reopening, assisting in flood cleanup at a local affordable housing complex, volunteering in donation distribution centers and coordinating the installation of Starlink kits where needed.
Staff were excited to reopen the park Oct. 23 and have a return to some sense of normalcy. Over the next two months, all of the other major tourism areas of the High Country were also able begin welcoming visitors again. Our area needs you now more than ever to continue our rebound. Please make plans to visit Grandfather and the area this year!