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Rock Slide Closes Road Up Grandfather Mountain

A rockslide occurred during the late hours of March 17 inside the scenic attraction at Grandfather Mountain. The slide was discovered on the lower half of the Mountain just before midnight by a security officer.

Large slabs of rock slid down from the hillside and covered the main road just below the Split Rock and the Sphinx Rock. Heavy equipment was used the morning of March 18 to move two of the boulders and open up the road to one-way traffic.

Geologists at Appalachian State University think the rough winter is probably to blame. With the Mountain experiencing a deep freeze over the past months, ice most likely formed in the cracks causing the rocks to loosen along the foliation. These last few weeks of warmer temperatures and heavy rains melted the ice, and all that was left was for gravity to do the rest and create the slide.

Austin Powder Company came in on March 19 to blast the largest boulder. After each blast, loose rocks were removed with a track hoe. Enough debris was removed Friday for the park to open to visitors in mid-afternoon, but additional blasting was required on Monday. In all the park was closed for a day and a half by the rock slide.

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