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National Parks In The Western Carolinas Continue To Dig Out In The Wake Of Hurricane Helene

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Compiled From NPS releases

Published Date

October 27, 2024

Incident management team crews remove a tree blocking a road at Cowpens National Battlefield / NPS

Hurricane Helene pummeled the western Carolinas with high winds and torrents of rain. As a result, many national park properties in the area are still working to assess damage and have slowly begun to dig out and reopen some sections of the parks. Cowpens National Battlefield, Kings Mountain National Military Park, Ninety Six National Historic Site and Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail all suffered significant damge to natural and cultural resources. 

At Kings Mountain, the visitor center and roads have reopened. Trails remain closed as park staff continue to work to mitigate hazards created from Hurricane Helene. The visitor center is open Wednesday-Sunday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. The park is closed Monday - Tuesday.
 
At Cowpens, the visitor center, Loop Road, and a portion of the Battlefield Trail and picnic area have reopened. One section of the Battlefield Trail and the entire Nature Trail remain closed indefinitely. Some of the picnic pads still have unsafe conditions, but the majority are open. The visitor center is open Wednesday - Sunday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. The park is closed Monday - Tuesday.
 
At Ninety Six, the visitor center and a portion of the Battlefield Trail have opened. The remainder of the trails are closed until further notice. Utility crews are working to restore severed internet and phone lines. The visitor center is open Wednesday-Sunday 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. The park is closed Monday - Tuesday.
 
Trees have been cleared from over three miles of road at Cowpens and a 16-person arborist and sawyer crew is working at Kings Mountain to clear downed trees, brush and debris, and to safely cut hanging limbs and leaning trees.
 
For safety reasons, the parks ask that the general public please be patient and respect closures while crews work to get the sites open safely. Many areas remain unsafe due to hidden hazards, such as snags and hanging branches. Unauthorized use also hinders recovery operations of work crews. Each of the sites will update their website and social media as assessments are completed and cleanup progress is made.

 

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