From the top of Chimney Rock’s 315-foot freestanding rock spire, the sweeping view of Hickory Nut Gorge is an iconic one. The craggy cliff face of Rumbling Bald Mountain rises in the foreground and the haze of the Blue Ridge hangs on the horizon. The Rocky Broad River threads the valley below.
Chimney Rock State Park reopened June 27, 2025, nine months after Tropical Storm Helene devastated the region and killed more than 100 people across the state. While North Carolina’s mountain towns are eager for visitors to return, the road to recovery will be a long one, with years still left ahead.
What happened during Helene
During the historic deadly and destructive storm, floodwaters from the Rocky Broad River widened channels, uprooted trees and carried debris through the Hickory Nut Gorge, much of it deposited in 720-acre Lake Lure.
The storm destroyed the entrance to Chimney Rock State Park along with a third of the businesses in Chimney Rock Village, with all others impacted and left closed. More than 30 homes were destroyed and the main highway devastated.
After the storm, with the bridge gone, staff had to find a way into the park, Park Superintendent James Ledgerwood said at the reopening ceremony. They cut a quarter-mile logging road in. Then the staff asked him in the immediate aftermath, he said, “Can we fly the flag?”
The American flag at the top of the spire was raised to half-mast.
“From that day on, we had hope. That the mountain was still here. That the park is still here. North Carolinians are still here. Here we are nine months later, and today we went up there and rose that flag again to celebrate that we’re here, this mountain is open and you can come back,” Ledgerwood said.
The town of Lake Lure also reopened in 2025, and the lake — made famous as a backdrop in the Hollywood classic, “Dirty Dancing” — reopened to swimming, fishing and boating earlier this spring.
What makes Chimney Rock special?
North Carolina State Parks contracts with Chimney Rock Management to run the private, fee area of the park, which includes the Chimney Rock attraction and the summit that flies the American flag. Guests can reach the peak by climbing the 494 stairsteps on the Outcroppings Trail, or ride in the 26-story elevator, which first opened in 1949.
The top of the rock offers sweeping views of the Hickory Nut Gorge, and the now-restored Lake Lure.
The park is riddled with hiking trails, from easy to strenuous. One of its most famous is the 1.4-mile roundtrip Hickory Nut Falls Trail, featured in the 1992 blockbuster “Last of the Mohicans.”
It also features The Rumbling Bald access on the north side of the river, a popular rock climbing area.
The Chimney Rock attraction open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Plan a visit at www.chimneyrockpark.com.
Reporting by Sarah Honosky, Asheville Citizen Times / Asheville Citizen Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
