Roan Mountain State Park prepares for summer season despite Hurricane Damage
ROAN MOUNTAIN, Tenn. (WJHL)—Many state parks are beginning to open for the season, welcoming the public back onto their trails. However, Roan Mountain State Park faces a new set of challenges this season.
In September, Hurricane Helene hit the park, causing devastation that led to closures throughout the park.
'One of the biggest things is the bridge here in the campground,' Park Director Monica Johnson said. 'Going up to our upper areas, it's pretty much washed completely out. At least half of the bridge is completely destroyed.'
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Johnson said the park began canceling summer reservations for the upper campsite in March, including reservations for Memorial Day weekend.
'It's one of our busiest weekends of the year and kicks off our season,' she said. 'So we definitely felt the impact from having to do that, and the disappointment that we received from our visitors.'
Johnson said that since the roads to the upper campsite belong to TDOT, it may be a while before it's ready for cars again.
'We're kind of at the mercy of TDOT,' she said. 'And that's taking a little bit longer than they had originally planned, because the projects ended up being than what they originally thought. The upper loops are closed currently through August 31. It will probably be closed for the rest of the season, just based on some of the information I've got back from the Department of Transportation.'
Despite the disappointment, the public has continued to show up and provide support for the park.
'We're still seeing that impact,' Johnson said. 'But we still have the support of people coming to the campground and camping in the lower area, staying in the cabins, going to the gift shops, and purchasing souvenir items. Just coming out and hiking.'
Johnson said the park still plans to host Memorial Day events throughout the weekend.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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