Old Fort’s outdoor tourism comeback faces mixed recovery a year after Helene

Old Fort, N.C. — Morning mist is lifting over the Blue Ridge foothills as small groups of helmeted riders on one-wheeled boards glide through the town square, past the 30-foot Arrowhead Monument. The scene is part of FloatLife Fest, which bills itself as the original and longest-running gathering for motorized Onewheel boards. The mid-September event swelled Old Fort’s population by about half and brought a burst of spending to a town still recovering from the remnants of Hurricane Helene.

The festival comes as part of a broader push to pivot Old Fort toward outdoor recreation. After Ethan Allen closed its local factory and laid off 325 workers in 2019, town leaders began focusing on hiking, running, horseback riding and mountain biking as a cornerstone of the economy. “We have a red clay that makes some of the best trails in the country,” FloatLife founder Justyn Thompson said. “The trails are epic.” The G5 Trail Collective, launched by Camp Grier outdoors complex in 2021, helped win approval for 42 miles of new multi-use trails from the U.S. Forest Service. Kim Effler, president and CEO of the McDowell Chamber of Commerce, notes the early payoff: for every trail that opened, a new business sprang up in town.

When Helene swept through on Sept. 27, 2024, floodwaters surged; the Catawba River merged with Mill Creek, and much of downtown was under several feet of muddy water. Chad Schoenauer, who opened Old Fort Bike Shop in 2021, said it took two days to reach town and assess the damage. The shop, housed in a refurbished 1901 general store, saw water rise more than 3 feet and left a 10-inch layer of reddish-brown mud on the heart pine floors. He estimated uninsured losses of about $150,000. At the Foothills Watershed mountain biking complex, the storm felled 48 large shade trees and destroyed an 18,000-square-foot track built with banks and jumps. The complex had not insured the flood risk, Casey McKissick said, and the flood wiped out a brand-new, never-used septic field. The damage also cost eight months of business, including last year's foliage season.

State tourism data show uneven recovery. Gov. Josh Stein said travelers spent a record $36.7 billion in the state last year, but Buncombe County, home to Asheville, saw visitor spending down nearly 11% in 2024; McDowell County fell about 3%. Effler says foot traffic at the county's largest visitor center was down 50% in June and July, a sign that damage to the Blue Ridge Parkway—one of the most-visited national parks—continues to weigh on travel. About 35 miles of the Parkway, including long stretches in McDowell County, were not slated to reopen until fall 2026. McDougald said nearly every trail in the Old Fort complex was damaged, with landslides wiping out large segments; about 30 miles of trail have reopened, leaving about the same amount closed.

Schoenauer reopened his shop in December, but traffic was down about two-thirds this summer. Revenue has shifted toward repairs as people continue to recreate with existing gear, rather than buy new equipment. The Watershed complex opened in June, but without the planned riverfront gazebo and performance stage; organizers moved the bike jumps to higher ground and say they’ve reconsidered floodplain design in response to Helene.

Despite the damage, Old Fort’s outdoor economy continues to hinge on events like FloatLife Fest and the nearby trails that have started to come back online. Jess Jones, a marine biologist from Edinburgh, said she plans to return. “We should definitely come back again,” she said, praising the town's welcome and the festival's energy. For Kim Effler and other local leaders, the challenge is ensuring a fall leaf-peeping season and a longer-term plan that can absorb future storms while preserving the natural assets that drew visitors in the first place.