After a two month closure to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, Grandfather Mountain will tentatively open in a limited capacity Friday, May 15. All ticket sales will move online.
In accordance with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s three-phased “reopening” of North Carolina, the nonprofit nature park will strictly limit guests to minimize social gatherings. Grandfather will also implement enhanced health and safety measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and federal, state and local authorities.
Grandfather Mountain is planning a soft reopening May 15-17 and then again on May 22. The park will be closed May 18-21.
While guests will still be able to enjoy Grandfather Mountain’s many wonders, including the Mile High Swinging Bridge, environmental wildlife habitats and hiking, the park will be operating to a limited capacity ensuring the safety of visitors and staff.
In accordance with new guidelines, visitors must purchase tickets online at www.grandfather.com by placing a reservation for a set date and time of entry. This measure will ensure only a certain number of guests in the park at any given time, in accordance with the state’s social gathering guidelines. Tickets will not be sold or available at the gate, meaning visitors must book online in advance.
“The safety of our guests and staff comes first and foremost,” said Jesse Pope, president and executive director of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, the nonprofit organization that owns and operates the Linville, N.C., nature preserve. “We will continue to follow the situation closely, while implementing a phased reopening plan closely correlated with Gov. Cooper’s.”
Park officials have created numerous operational measures to discourage crowds and encourage social distancing. Buildings, such as the Nature Museum and Fudge Shop, will remain temporarily closed, with public restrooms available at the Woods Walk Picnic Area.
The Top Shop will welcome a limited number of guests at a time, while the park’s on-site restaurant, Mildred’s Grill, will offer curbside pick-up, allowing guests to dine in their vehicles or at one of the park’s 100-plus picnic sites.
High-traffic pedestrian areas, such as the Mile High Swinging Bridge and wildlife habitats, will implement a one-way directional system to ensure guests stay six feet of each other — the minimum safe distance recommended by the CDC and other health officials.
The number of patrons allowed to visit such areas at one time will be limited, based on state social gathering recommendations, while a time limit will ensure that others can participate; however, guests are welcome revisit such areas during the same trip.
Time limits will be not be enforced for the park’s less crowded, lower-traffic areas.
The park has enhanced its already stringent cleaning procedures and placed additional sanitization stations in key areas, while boosting staff presence to direct traffic flow and encourage appropriate social distancing.
“It’s going to be a different experience for our Grandfather Mountain friends and family — almost like a guided tour, in a sense,” Pope said. “But guests will still be able to share the mountain’s many wonders, and in a quieter, less crowded setting. When we get to Phase 2, there will be more facilities open and more people allowed to come to the park, and the same with Phase 3.”
Pope emphasized that the opening date and new guidelines are subject to change, based on current conditions and federal, state and local regulations. As such, guests who are planning a trip should routinely check the Grandfather Mountain website and social media sites for changes and updates.
“We’ve missed our guests tremendously and have been thinking about them and their families during this challenging time,” Pope said. “We look forward to having them back on the mountain, and we’re working hard to make sure the park will be safe for them when that happens.”