Carl Sandburg Home NHS to Re-open Barn on January 22, 2025

News Release Date:
January 21, 2025

Contact: Tom Avery, 828-573-5084

The barn and access to the Connemara goats will be accessible to the public on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, as part of the phased re-opening at Carl Sandburg Home NHS. Videos, passport stamps, bark ranger information, and junior ranger booklets will be available in the garage near the Sandburg Home.

The hikers' lot currently is the only available parking at the park, with space for only 24 cars. The lot is busiest and can be full between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., with weekends being busier than weekdays. Please park only in designated spaces. If the lot is full, come back at another time. There are no designated parking spaces or sidewalks along Little River Road.

Visitors who require accessible parking should call the phone number posted in the hikers' lot. Limited options may be available.

"We are excited to re-open the barn for visitors to enjoy. The goats are beloved by many and are just as ready to see you as you are to see them again." said Superintendent Polly Angelakis.

Services and facilities that will remain closed during this phase include the Sandburg Home and tours, park store, Front Lake parking lot and trail, drinking water, and flush toilets. Portable toilets are available for visitors and are located at the hikers' lot, amphitheater entrance, and by the restrooms near the Sandburg Home.

Portable toilets will be in use until further notice while the park goes through the funding, compliance, and repair processes to fix the main sewer line, which was destroyed by flooding from Hurricane Helene.

Visitors should dress for the weather and bring drinking water as there is no visitor access to water at this time.

Maps showing open or closed areas are posted near the hikers' lot, barn entrance, Sandburg Home garage, and restrooms by the Sandburg Home. Signs and barriers are posted by all closed areas. For your safety, please stay out of closed areas.

The Front Lake parking lot and trail remain closed. Helene flooding washed out two bridges on this trail and carved a deep ravine. There is 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.

Front Lake dam, which failed in 2022, suffered further destruction by Helene. The new damage is substantial. The previously approved repair plan (which included design, compliance, contracting, and a 2025-26 timetable) must be redone due to the additional, substantial damage.

The park closed in late September 2024, due to severe impacts from Helene. Since then, emergency cleanup crews have been shared between North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee national park units affected by Helene. These units include Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains, Ninety Six, Cowpens, and Carl Sandburg Home.

The park does not have any other re-opening information at this time. Please check Facebook Page or www.nps.gov/carl for updates

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