Blue Ridge Parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)

The parkway near Grandfather Mountain
Location North Carolina & Virginia, USA
Nearest city Asheville, NC & Roanoke, VA
Coordinates 36°31′07″N 80°56′09″W / 36.51861°N 80.93583°W / 36.51861; -80.93583
Area 93,390 acres (377.9 km2)
Established June 30, 1936
Visitors 12,877,368 (in 2013)[1]
Governing body National Park Service

Blue Ridge Parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway route map
Route information
Maintained by NPS
Length: 469 mi[2] (755 km)
Existed: June 30, 1936 (1936-06-30) – present
Major junctions
North end: US 250 in Rockfish Gap, VA
 
South end: US 441 in Swain County, NC
Highway system
National Parkway
National Scenic Byway

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America's longest linear park,[3] runs for 469 miles (755 km) through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, mostly along the Blue Ridge, a major mountain chain that is part of the Appalachian Mountains. Its southern terminus is on the boundary between Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Cherokee Indian Reservation in North Carolina, from which it travels north to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and offers access to the Skyline Drive. While the two roads join together end-to-end, they are separate and distinct entities, built as two different projects and managed by two different National Park Service units. The Blue Ridge Parkway was built to connect Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The parkway, while not a National Park, has been the most visited unit of the National Park System every year since 1946 except two (1949, 2013).[4] Land on either side of the road is owned and maintained by the National Park Service and, in many places, parkway land is bordered by United States Forest Service property. The parkway is on North Carolina's version of the America the Beautiful quarter in 2015.[5]

History

Begun during the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the project was originally called the Appalachian Scenic Highway. Most construction was carried out by private contractors under federal contracts under an authorization by Harold L. Ickes in his role as federal public works administrator. Work began on September 11, 1935, near Cumberland Knob in North Carolina; construction in Virginia began the following February. On June 30, 1936, Congress formally authorized the project as the Blue Ridge Parkway and placed it under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. Some work was carried out by various New Deal public works agencies. The Works Progress Administration did some roadway construction. Crews from the Emergency Relief Administration carried out landscape work and development of parkway recreation areas. Personnel from four Civilian Conservation Corps camps worked on roadside cleanup, roadside plantings, grading slopes, and improving adjacent fields and forest lands. During World War II, the CCC crews were replaced by conscientious objectors in the Civilian Public Service program.

The parkway's construction created jobs in the region, but also displaced many residents and created new rules and regulations for landowners, including requirements related to how farmers could transport crops.[6] Residents could no longer build on their lands without permission or develop land except for agricultural use.[6] They were not permitted to use the parkway for any commercial travel but were required to transport equipment and materials on side roads.[6]

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians were also affected by the parkway, which was built through their lands.[7] From 1935 to 1940, they resisted giving up the right-of-way through the Qualla Boundary, and they were successful in gaining more favorable terms from the U.S. government.[7] Specifically, the revised bill "specified the parkway route, assured the $40,000 payment for the tribe's land, and required the state to build [a] regular highway through the Soco Valley" (the highway referred to is part of U.S. Route 19, US 19).[7] Cherokee leaders participated in the dedications when the Cherokee sections opened in the 1950s.

Construction of the parkway was complete by the end of 1966 with one notable exception.[8] The 7.7 miles (12.4 km) stretch including the Linn Cove Viaduct around Grandfather Mountain did not open until 1987.[9] The project took over 52 years to complete.

Ecology along the parkway

Flowering shrubs and wildflowers dominate the parkway in the spring, including rhododendrons and dogwoods, moving from valleys to mountains as the cold weather retreats. Smaller annuals and perennials such as the daisy and aster flower through the summer. Brilliant autumn foliage occurs later in September on the mountaintops, descending to the valleys by later in October. Often in early-to-middle October and middle to late April, all three seasons can be seen simply by looking down from the cold and windy parkway to the green and warm valleys below. October is especially dramatic, as the colored leaves stand out boldly and occur mostly at the same time, unlike the flowers.

Major trees include oak, hickory, and tulip tree at lower elevations and buckeye and ash in the middle, turning into conifers such as fir and spruce at the highest elevations on the parkway. Trees near ridges, peaks, and passes (often called gaps or notches) are often distorted and even contorted by the wind, and persistent rime ice deposited by passing clouds in the winter.

Route description

The Blue Ridge Parkway tunnels were constructed through the rock—one in Virginia and twenty-five in North Carolina. Sections of the parkway near the tunnels are often closed in winter. (Due to dripping groundwater from above, freezing temperatures, and the lack of sunlight, ice often accumulates inside these areas even when the surrounding areas are above freezing.) The highest point on the parkway (south of Waynesville, near Mount Pisgah in North Carolina) is 6053 feet or 1845 m above sea level (AMSL) on Richland Balsam Mountain at Milepost 431, and is often closed from November to April due to inclement weather such as snow, fog, and even freezing fog from low clouds. The parkway is carried across streams, railway ravines and cross roads by 168 bridges and six viaducts.

Farm at the Humpback Rock

The parkway runs from the southern terminus of Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive in Virginia at Rockfish Gap to U.S. Route 441 at Oconaluftee in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Cherokee, North Carolina. There is no fee for using the parkway; however, commercial vehicles are prohibited without approval from the Park Service Headquarters, near Asheville, North Carolina.[10][11] The roadway is not maintained in the winter, and sections which pass over especially high elevations and through tunnels are often impassable and therefore closed from late fall through early spring. Weather is extremely variable in the mountains, so conditions and closures often change rapidly. The speed limit is never higher than 45 mph (72 km/h) and lower in some sections.

The parkway uses short side roads to connect to other highways, and there are no direct interchanges with Interstate Highways (though current plans for Interstate 73 take it along current US 220 at its parkway interchange), making it possible to enjoy wildlife and other scenery without stopping for cross-traffic. Mileposts along the parkway start at zero at the northeast end in Virginia and count to 469 at the southern end in North Carolina. The mileposts can be found on the right-hand side of the road while traveling southbound on the parkway. Major towns and cities along the way include Waynesboro, Roanoke, and Galax in Virginia; and in North Carolina, Boone and Asheville, where it runs across the property of the Biltmore Estate. The Blue Ridge Music Center (also part of the park) is located in Galax, and Mount Mitchell (the highest point in eastern North America) is only accessible via a state highway (NC 128) from the parkway at milepost 355.4.[12]

Highlights in Virginia

Mabry Mill
The view from Craggy Gardens on the Blue Ridge Parkway
East Fork Overlook from Blue Ridge Parkway

Highlights in North Carolina

Blue Ridge Parkway in autumn near Looking Glass Rock
Black Balsam Knob, Graveyard Fields and Yellowstone Falls as seen at sunrise from Milepost 419
Sign marking the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Blue Ridge Parkway featured in the 2015 America the Beautiful Quarters series

The Blue Ridge Parkway crosses the North Carolina-Virginia state line at mile 216.9. The 1749 party that surveyed the boundary included Peter Jefferson, father of Thomas Jefferson.

Closures

It is not unusual for small sections of the Parkway to be temporarily closed to repair damage caused by the cold winter climate of the mountains or for other maintenance. Detours caused by these closures are well-marked, and are arranged to cause as little disruption as possible, though maintenance such as repaving only warrants a stop/slow switch with a one-lane only restriction.

Due to serious damage in 2004 from Hurricane Frances, then again by Hurricane Ivan, many areas along the parkway were closed until the spring of 2005, with two areas that were not fully repaired until the spring of 2006.

Major intersections

County[13]Locationmi[14]kmDestinationsNotes
AugustaRockfish Gap0.000.00 US 250 to I64 / Skyline Drive north Charlottesville, Waynesboro, Shenandoah National ForestInterchange
Reids Gap13.722.0 SR 664 (Beech Grove Road / Reeds Gap Road) Waynesboro
Nelson 16.025.7 SR 814 (Campbells Mountain Road) to SR 56Unpaved road
 16.125.9 SR 814 (Love Road) – Sherando Lake
Tye River Gap27.143.6 SR 56 Montebello, Steele's TavernInterchange
RockbridgeHumphreys Gap45.573.2 US 60 Buena Vista, AmherstInterchange
AmherstOtter Creek61.398.7 SR 130 Natural Bridge, LynchburgInterchange
Bedford 63.9102.8 US 501 Big Island, GlasgowInterchange
Peaks of Otter85.9138.2 SR 43 south BedfordNorthern end of southern segment of SR 43
BotetourtBearwallow Gap90.9146.3 SR 43 north / SR 695 south Buchanan, MontvaleInterchange; southern end of northern segment of SR 43
 105.9170.4 US 460 (US 221) Bedford, RoanokeInterchange
Roanoke 112.3180.7 SR 24 – Stewartsville, Vinton, Roanoke, Booker T. Washington National MonumentInterchange
 115.2185.4Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center, Virginia's Explore Park (Roanoke River Parkway)
 120.5193.9Mill Mountain Park & Zoo, Historic Roanoke Star, Downtown Roanoke (Mill Mountain Parkway)
 121.4195.4 US 220 Rocky Mount, RoanokeInterchange
Adney Gap136.0218.9 US 221Connector road
Floyd 159.3256.4 SR 860 (Shooting Creek Road)Former SR 109
Tuggle Gap165.1265.7 SR 8 Floyd, StuartInterchange
 174.0280.0 SR 799 (Conner Grove Road)former SR 102 north
 174.1280.2 SR 758 (Woodberry Road)former SR 102 south
 174.2280.3 SR 758 (Buffalo Mountain Road)
PatrickMeadows of Dan177.7286.0 US 58 (via US 58 Bus.) Stuart, Hillsville
CarrollPatrick county lineWillis Gap192.1309.2 SR 771 (Willis Gap Road)
Carroll 199.0320.3 SR 608 (Lightning Ridge Road)
 199.2320.6 SR 608 (Ranger Road)
Fancy Gap199.4320.9 US 52 to I77 Mt. Airy, HillsvilleInterchange
GraysonLow Gap215.7347.1 SR 89 Mt. Airy, Galax
 Virginia–North Carolina state line
Alleghany 217.2349.5 NC 18 Sparta, Mt. AiryInterchange
 229.6369.5 US 21 Roaring Gap, SpartaInterchange
 248.0399.1 NC 18 North Wilkesboro, Laurel SpringsInterchange
AsheMiller Gap258.7416.3Trading Post Road Glendale Springs
Horse Gap261.2420.4 NC 16 North Wilkesboro, West JeffersonInterchange
WataugaDeep Gap276.5445.0 US 421 Boone, Wilkesboro, North WilkesboroInterchange
 280.9452.1Old US 421Connector road
 290.8468.0Green Hill Road
 291.9469.8 US 221 / US 321 Blowing Rock, BooneInterchange
Avery 294.6474.1 US 221 Linville, Grandfather MountainInterchange
 312.1502.3 NC 181 Pineola, MorgantonInterchange
Avery 316.4509.2Linville Falls Road  Linville Falls
 317.5511.0 US 221 Linville Falls CommunityInterchange
MitchellGillespie Gap330.8532.4 NC 226 Spruce Pine, MarionInterchange
 333.9537.4 NC 226A Little SwitzerlandInterchange
YanceyBuck Creek Gap344.1553.8 NC 80 Marion, BurnsvilleInterchange
Black Mountain Gap355.4572.0 NC 128 Mount Mitchell State Park
BuncombeBull Gap375.7604.6Elk Mountain Scenic Highway WeavervilleTo Vance Birthplace
Craven Gap377.4607.4 NC 694 south (Town Mountain Road)
Asheville382.6615.7 US 70 (Tunnel Road) Black Mountain, AshevilleInterchange
 384.8619.3 US 74A to I40 AshevilleInterchange
 388.8625.7 US 25 Hendersonville, Asheville, NC ArboretumInterchange
 393.6633.4 NC 191 to I26 Asheville, HendersonvilleInterchange
HendersonElk Pasture Gap405.6652.7 NC 151 north Candler
HaywoodWagon Road Gap411.8662.7 US 276 Brevard, WaynesvilleInterchange
TransylvaniaBeech Gap423.3681.2 NC 215Interchange
HaywoodBalsam Gap443.5713.7 US 74 / US 23 Waynesville, SylvaInterchange
Soco Gap455.7733.4 US 19 (Soco Road) Cherokee, Maggie ValleyInterchange
JacksonWolf Laurel Gap458.2737.4Balsam Mountain, Black Camp Gap, Masonic Marker (Heintooga Ridge Road)
SwainRavensford469.1754.9 US 441 Cherokee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  2. "Blue Ridge Parkway". National Park Service. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  3. "Blue Ridge Parkway". The Cultural Landscape Foundation.
  4. "National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics". Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  5. "America the Beautiful Quarters". U.S. Mint. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 Chesto, Shawna (Summer 2007). "The Effect of the Blue Ridge Parkway on Appalachian Farmers". Appalachian State University. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 Mitchell, Anne V. (Winter 1997). "Culture, History, and Development on the Qualla Boundary". Appalachian Journal 24 (2): 144–191. JSTOR 40933835.
  8. Brown, Jeff (January 2015). "Road with a View:Blue Ridge Parkway". Civil Engineering Magazine (American Society of Civil Engineers): 42–45. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  9. Mitchell, Monte (September 11, 2012). "25-Year-Old Linn Cove Viaduct Floats Around Grandfather Mountain". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  10. Whisnant, Anne M. (2006). Super-Scenic Motorway: A Blue Ridge Parkway History. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. pp. 45–46 via Google Books.
  11. "§5.6 Commercial vehicles". Code of Federal Regulations.
  12. Much of the following information comes from National Park Service (2004). Blue Ridge Parkway: North Carolina, Virginia (Map). [c. 1:500,000]. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. OCLC 86108275. GPO:2003-496-196/40572 Reprint 2004.
  13. USGS topos
  14. Digital Confections LLC (February 2016). Blue Ridge Companion iOS.

Further reading

External links

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