Flooding caused by Hurricane Helene largely destroyed the town of Chimney Rock and the Rocky Broad River as we knew it. The river grew to fill the entire valley with a torrent, and the storm left behind a greatly widened river often lacking a clear channel and with massive carved out banks. Shortly after the storm, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) built a temporary road through the gorge that is often in the middle of the river channel. Now, as the community seeks to rebuild, they have come together with a draft plan to create a river park through town that features a trail, whitewater features and pools, and green space.

Check out the draft plan here: https://issuu.com/dbdplanning/docs/chimney_rock_recovery_action_plan_-_draft_designs

Keep an eye on the local planning website for opportunities to get involved: https://www.raisetherock.com/

The proposed riverside park will look familiar to people who have paddled in Colorado. It is akin to the approach that many Colorado towns have taken with rivers flowing through their communities. The plan was prepared by Destination By Design, and the in-river portion of the plan was drafted by Recreation Engineering and Planning. The portion of the river covered by this plan is relatively low gradient compared to the challenging whitewater run just upstream. While a plan is just a plan, and many pieces have to come together before it becomes a reality, we applaud the community for their proactive work to integrate river recreation into their future. American Whitewater staff have visited the site, and the draft plan feels like a great approach for this severely damaged river corridor. 

The future of the Rocky Broad River upstream of the proposed river park is not so well envisioned yet. In perhaps two years NCDOT will be wrapping up the reconstruction of Highway 74A and will be removing their temporary road from the river. American Whitewater is working to ensure that NCDOT repairs the river when they do so, by leveraging recreational engineers to put the river back into a recreationally navigable and restored condition that can over time settle into a naturally functioning whitewater river. With a little effort by NCDOT to leave the river in good shape, and in combination with the river park downstream, the Rocky Broad could once again be a beloved staple of the Western North Carolina boating community.