Iconic North Carolina Park Is Finally Reopening 9 Months After Hurricane Helene
A temporary bridge and road repairs now allow access to park.
Advance reservations with limited capacity will be required via chimneyrockpark.com.Chimney Rock State Park is set to reopen exactly nine months after being devastated by Hurricane Helene.
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and N.C. State Parks announced today that Chimney Rock State Park, as well as the iconic Chimney Rock attraction, will reopen to visitors on Friday, June 27—the nine-month anniversary of Hurricane Helene's deadly assault on western North Carolina.
Chimney Rock, the tiny North Carolina town roughly 25 miles southeast of Asheville that's home to the park, was nearly wiped off the map by flooding caused by the storm. Experts say it was the hardest-hit spot in a region where the destruction stretched for hundreds of miles.
'Chimney Rock is a western North Carolina jewel,' Governor Josh Stein said in a statement. 'Reopening the state park will draw tourists back to this area. I am pleased that DNCR, DOT, and local leaders in Chimney Rock were able to get this park open for people to enjoy and so local businesses can thrive.'
Access to the park, where tens of thousands of visitors climb the famous 315-foot granite monolith for sweeping views of the Blue Ridge Mountains each year, has been limited since September 2024 due to the loss of the park entrance bridge. The N.C. Department of Transportation just recently completed work on a temporary bridge and repairs to the park's roads.
'The reopening of this iconic park is another positive step toward recovery in western North Carolina,' N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary, Pamela B. Cashwell, said in a news release. 'We could not reopen Chimney Rock without the swift work of the N.C. Department of Transportation and the leadership from Governor Josh Stein and his recovery team.'
Park hours will reportedly be announced soon. Capacity will be limited due to ongoing recovery and rebuilding efforts in the area, a news release notes. Advance reservations will be required to access the Chimney Rock attraction via chimneyrockpark.com, which will go live approximately one week prior to the reopening.
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