Nearly 200 miles of Blue Ridge Parkway reopens in Virginia, long-term work remains in NC

( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) — A section of the Blue Ridge Parkway has reopened in Virginia following damage from Hurricane Helene while considerable work remains in North Carolina.

As of Friday, October 11, the parkway between milepost 0 at Shenandoah National Park and milepost 198.4 is open to the public in Virginia.

This includes the 198 miles of the scenic byway from Shenandoah National Park south to Virginia Route 685 – Skyview Drive/Turkey Ridge Road, near Fancy Gap:

• The Humpback Rocks, James River, and Peaks of Otter visitor centers will reopen, as power and water have been restored to all facilities where they existed before the storm.
• The Mabry Mill Cultural Site will be open, and the Eastern National/America’s National Parks sales outlet will operate from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
• Peaks of Otter and Rocky Knob campgrounds will operate on a first-come, first-served basis until October 14, at which time existing reservations will again be honored. Otter Creek Campground was closed for the season before the storm and will remain closed.
• Peaks of Otter Lodge will continue to operate

The National Park Service hopes to reopen the remainder of the parkway in Virginia within the next two weeks. “While we celebrate this achievement, we also recognize that significant and, in some areas, long-term work remains in North Carolina. We are committed to restoring all sections of the parkway to the highest standards of safety and accessibility for our visitors,” Tracy Swartout, superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway, said in a released statement.

Visitors should be aware that trail assessments have not been completed in all areas and caution should be exercised when hiking. Moreover, they may find fewer services than normal as many employees are helping in North Carolina.

The entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina remains closed as crews continue emergency stabilization and damage assessments following Hurricane Helene.

Blue Ridge Parkway damage in North Carolina

Considerable work remains in North Carolina. Blue Ridge Parkway crews and National Park Service employees have encountered tens of thousands of trees across the road and nearly three dozen rock and mudslides along the Parkway.

The slides have occurred above and below the road and have also severely damaged or swept away the roadbed in numerous places, authorities said.

The National Park Service is reminding the public that the closures along the Blue Ridge Parkway and associated park trails apply to all vehicles and uses: motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.

Hazards, both seen and unseen, endanger unauthorized users and some threats may not be obvious, such as weakened road structures or hanging limbs, which are subject to falling in changing weather conditions.

The National Park Service says they’re working diligently to assess and mitigate these hazards, entering closed sections is not only dangerous to visitors and recovery crews, but also illegal and subject to enforcement under Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations .

No schedule has been established for reopening the parkway in North Carolina.

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