BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — Tourists have easier access to two major waterfalls in the North Carolina High Country for the first time since Hurricane Helene.
The storm brought piles of debris to the area, but Channel 9’s Dave Faherty spoke with hikers who are eager to get back on the trails to Linville Falls.
This week, you can now access the falls from the Blue Ridge Parkway and along Old NC Highway 105. And it’s easy to see why so many people come to Linville Falls.
Angie Boudouris made the trip from Ohio and said as soon as she hit the trail, she could see the work done by the U.S. Forest Service.
“I could see where they’ve done amazing work to rehab it and reconstruct it and hopefully it won’t happen again” Boudouris said.
The USFS says the parking area for Table Rock Mountain is still closed because of slides. A small portion of the Linville Gorge trail remains off limits. The Linville Falls Campground also remains closed.
The forest service says thousands of trees came down in the gorge during the storm, but now most of the trails have reopened.
One grandmother from Morganton was glad to be back at the falls on Wednesday.
“I love the waterfall. It’s just part of God’s creation that I think is just perfect,” said Shyrl Stainback.
In western Avery County, the Elk River Falls reopened earlier this month. Neighbors say the cleanup crews have removed tons of debris after homes and cars were washed away by flooding from Helene. Families were back in the water Wednesday below the falls.
First responders hope folks returning to the falls this summer enjoy themselves but are asking folks to exercise caution near the top of both falls to keep anyone from getting hurt.
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