Travel Tips for a Visit to Grandfather Mountain & N.C. High Country

Grandfather Mountain -- November 14, 2024: Grandfather Mountain posted the following on social media today. It’s 

 been more than a month since Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina.

While we have made a lot of progress, there is still a great deal of work that needs to be done. Recovery will take years.
With that in mind, our staff has some travel tips to help encourage folks to make thoughtful visits to our region. 

Travel Tips for a Thoughtful Post-Helene Visit to Grandfather Mountain and the N.C. High Country

Book your Grandfather Mountain visit in advance. As always, booking tickets and a reservation time online in advance is highly recommended. In this first phase of reopening, the park will sell a limited number of tickets. Booking online in advance is the only way to receive available discounts on admission and guarantee that you will be able to enter the park. There is a chance that some days and time slots may sell out.

Plan your entire High Country trip before visiting. Some parts of Avery County, such as Banner Elk and the south end of the county, are not in a place to welcome visitors currently. The regional visitor center operated by High Country Host is updating a local map regularly with road openings. They are also maintaining a list of businesses that are open and closed in the area. Those resources can be accessed at highcountryhost.com.

Obey travel warnings and signs — and know that they are subject to change. While main roads are beginning to open up, access is limited on some back roads. As of Oct. 30, there is still a curfew in Avery County (10 p.m. – 5 a.m.).

Be cautious and patient as you navigate roads, and expect traffic delays. Construction work is happening around the clock to repair infrastructure throughout the area, and we are so grateful to everyone who has contributed to making our roads accessible as quickly as possible. A map updated by the North Carolina Department of Transportation is available at drivenc.gov.

Approach your visit with empathy, especially when interacting with members of the surrounding communities. While we are fortunate to be able to open back up at Grandfather, many people’s lives have been completely uprooted by the storm, and nearby smaller towns like Banner Elk are not ready to accommodate visitors yet. When you are interacting with local business owners, wait staff, frontline employees, etc., please be sensitive to the trauma they may have experienced as a result of Hurricane Helene. Many folks are still dealing with ongoing difficulties.

Shop at local businesses while you are here. The effects of the storm have had massive impacts on the region’s economy, as the High Country is typically very busy in fall and many business owners rely on that season to cover their expenses throughout the year. Support small businesses by shopping and dining local during your visit. Make plans to purchase a North Carolina-grown tree this holiday season and to visit the area for winter activities.

Want to support hurricane relief work efforts? Donate to trusted organizations. We appreciate the overwhelming support for our region over the past few weeks, and our donation centers are overflowing as a result of your generosity. Please do not send physical donations to the area unless you are in contact with someone on the ground and have coordinated about a specific need.

Continue supporting hurricane relief through financial contributions. You can donate to Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation’s ongoing disaster relief fund here.

Support the region from afar by shopping online. If you aren’t planning on visiting the High Country in person any time soon, you can still support local businesses through online stores or by purchasing gift cards that you can use at a later time. If you would like to support Grandfather in this way, we have annual Bridge Club memberships and the Adopt-an-Animal Program.

Visit grandfather.com/

Image: WNCTimes