Nearly two years after Hurricane Helene swept through Western North Carolina, hikers can once again visit Grandfather Mountain's Profile Trail.
The storm left the route heavily damaged, knocking down trees and washing away sections of the trail.
Kris Anne Bonifacio, with North Carolina State Parks, says repairing it wasn’t easy.
“The big complicating factor with Grandfather is that it's a very sensitive ecological area," she says. "It's actually a United Nations Biosphere Reserve.”
She says crews took steps to minimize damage to rare plant and animal habitats. And they worked to build the trail back more sustainably — improving drainage and reinforcing structural elements to prevent future damage.
Now, the campsite and upper portion of the trail are open to visitors. But the lower loop, which was completely washed out by the storm, remains closed. It’s among a handful of trail sections statewide still awaiting repairs — many of which involve bridge replacements.
But Bonifacio says the system has come a long way since Helene. Of the 315 miles of trails initially closed by the storm, about 300 have reopened.