Cars rolled across a brand-new temporary bridge into Chimney Rock State Park on Friday, ending a nine-month shutdown that had choked the tourism lifeline of this mountain hamlet and much of western North Carolina.
Gov. Josh Stein cut a ceremonial ribbon at the span, erected where Hurricane Helene’s floodwaters tore out the park entrance last September, and declared the reopening “a ray of hope for western North Carolina.”
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“I am absolutely thrilled to say Chimney Rock State Park is reopened,” Stein told dozens of first responders, lawmakers and residents gathered near the 315-foot granite outcrop that gives the park its name. “When visitors spend their tourism dollars here, they remind their neighbors that we will be with them until the end.”
Stein and first lady Anna Stein also unveiled “Western North Carolina: Rediscover the Unforgettable,” a Visit NC marketing campaign aimed at luring travelers back to the region’s hiking trails, craft breweries and small-town festivals after Helene’s devastation.
"We can have more success stories like here at Chimney Rock and we can keep inviting people back to western North Carolina," Stein said.
New relief money on the way
At the same podium, the governor signed House Bill 1012: Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 - Part II, a bipartisan $575 million Helene relief package that extends the state of emergency to Oct. 1. The measure sets aside $75 million to repair private roads and bridges and allocates additional money for wildfire mitigation, landslide prevention, dam repairs and aid to schools and local governments.
Stein urged lawmakers to include forgivable loans for storm-damaged small businesses in a future package and pressed Congress to act on North Carolina’s pending $11.5 billion federal request.
“Today is a good day,” Stein said. “But there is still much work to do to make sure every family, every business and every town can come back stronger than before.”
A team effort
State Parks Director Brian Strong, whose crews worked with the N.C. Department of Transportation to rebuild the bridge and repair the park’s cliff-side elevator, called the day “a generational milestone.”
“We’ve had to rebuild a bridge, reconstruct the access road, fix the elevator while the town around us was devastated,” Strong said. “So many players had to come together and work hard to make this happen.”
Chimney Rock typically draws about 400,000 visitors a year, but capacity will be limited to timed, online reservations on weekends until hillside stabilization and roadwork are complete. Skyline Trail remains closed.
"This is the best state park in North Carolina," said Chimney Rock Mayor Peter O'Leary. "Chimney Rock State Park is the best of North Carolina."
Village still in pieces
Down the winding S-curve into Chimney Rock Village, reminders of Helene linger. A red-and-yellow sign still proclaims the Gemstone Mine the “No. 1 attraction in Chimney Rock,” yet a smaller notice on its mud-splattered door explains the mine never reopened after the storm. One-third of the town’s 46 businesses were destroyed, and a flashing highway board still warns, “Road closed. Local traffic only.”
O’Leary, whose general store is stripped to studs, said volunteers and Amish carpenters are helping owners shore up river-eaten foundations.
“We don’t want everyone to come at the same time, but we do want people to visit and be patient with us,” O’Leary said. “This is a long rebuild, but I think it’s going to be worth it.”
Not everyone can wait. Bayou Billy’s Country Fair amusement park is a mangled heap of carousel ponies and steel beams. Owner Bill Robeson, 71, said he lacks the heart to start over. Hotelier Linda Carter, 74, is weighing a federal buyout rather than spend $2.6 million to rebuild the Carter Lodge, whose balconies now dangle in midair above the Broad River.
Others, like restaurateur Matt Banz, have poured new concrete footers and vow to reopen before the year ends. “The day after the storm we never questioned rebuilding,” Banz said, watching crews rebuild his riverfront deck. “We weren’t going to let go.”
Eric Church is a spokesperson for the “Western North Carolina: Rediscover the Unforgettable” campaign. Church attended Appalachian State University and grew up in the area.
"I'm proud to be from Western North Carolina. It's where I was born, it's where my soul finds rest," said Church. "Our family has lived here for generations, and it has become a part of the fabric that has made me the man that I am now. It's an honor to be the voice that invites more people to discover and visit a place we love."
How to visit
- Reservations: required at chimneyrockpark.com.
- Hours: 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Friday through Monday only; visitors may stay until 7 p.m.
- Route: approach via N.C. 9 through Lake Lure; all other highways remain closed to non-locals.
- Tickets: $17 for adults, $8 for ages 5–15; annual passes honored.
State officials hope to expand to daily operations later this summer if weather cooperates and recovery funds keep flowing.