We get a lot of out-of-state visitors to the park who may not think that hurricanes and the mountains of Western North Carolina have anything to do with each other... but they do!
If you see a hurricane is expected to hit the coast of Florida don't turn off the TV to finish packing for your trip to Chestnut Mountain. Keep watching because depending on it's path, once the hurricane travels out of Florida, WNC could get hit with excessive amounts of rain causing the park to be closed.
If you are planning a trip to the park in August, September or October you will want to pay attention to hurricanes in the weather forecast. The Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1 and ends on November 30, but North Carolina is most at risk during the three months mentioned above. I'm sure you are thinking, but Canton is nowhere near the coast, and you would be right. However, we can experience heavy rains here when post-hurricane weather is passing over the state.
What do we recommend? When your trip gets close keep an eye on the weather for Canton, NC because you may want to reschedule for another time. We also suggest signing up for Chestnut Alerts on our website and receive text updates when the park is closed for inclement weather as well as when it reopens. We also post all updates on our social media pages.