NORTH CAROLINA, USA — Some North Carolina state parks will partially reopen after Hurricane Helene.
A spokesperson for the North Carolina State Parks and Recreation Department said five parks will start welcoming visitors again starting on Friday, Nov. 1.
These five parks are all reopening for the first time since Helene hit.:
- Crowders Mountain will be open for day use only
- Gorges' Grassy Ridge access will be open
- Grandfather Mountain will be open except for Profile Trail and the campsite
- Lake Norman will be open, but some mountain bike trail sections will remain closed as well as the camper cabins, but other trails and the rest of camping will reopen
- Rendezvous Mountain will be open
Eight other state parks will remain closed.
The state expects most of them, including Stone Mountain to reopen by mid-November.
Chimney Rock, Mount Mitchell and South Mountains will likely be closed for a long time.
As you can see from these pictures of Mount Mitchell, lots of damage remains.
The National Guard was sent out to Stone Mountain on Oct. 24.
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