Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site is now partially reopened after being closed due to damage it sustained during Helene.
This is the first phase in the reopening, according to Carl Sandburg Home Superintendent Polly Angelakis. The first phase started on Dec. 23.
"This is an extremely important detail: The Sandburg Home isn't reopening...only the hikers' lot, grounds and trails are open," Angelakis told News 13 on Dec. 26.
Another important detail is that the main parking lot is also still closed. The only parking lot open is the Hikers' Lot, which is located at 1928 Little River Road. It has enough space for 24 cars, and visitors aren't allowed to park along Little River Road if the lot is full.
According to the Carl Sandburg Home website, visitors using the Hikers Lot will enter from the opposite side of the park as the main parking lot. There is a gravel road to use to walk into the park to access hiking trails. The Hikers' lot cannot accommodate large vehicles such as buses, RVs or towable trailers.
Services and facilities that remain closed during this initial partial re-opening phase also include the park store, goat barn and pastures. There is no timetable yet on when these will re-open.
According to the Carl Sandburg Home website, the Front Lake parking lot and trail will remain closed indefinitely. Helene flooding washed out two bridges on this trail and carved a deep ravine, so there is still no way to access park grounds, buildings or trails from Front Lake. The park is going through the funding, compliance, and contracting processes to install a temporary bridge so the Front Lake parking lot and trail can reopen, according to the website.
The Front Lake dam failed in 2022 and then suffered further destruction by Helene. According to park officials, the new damage is substantial. The previously approved repair plan, which included design, compliance, contracting and a 2025-26 timetable, must now be redone due to the additional damage.
STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOSCarl Sandburg Home site partially reopens following damage from Helene
