Blue Ridge Parkway

Help The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Repair Mabry Mill's Waterwheel

Historic preservation can be a costly, and regular, routine. That's why the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation needs your help to repair the waterwheel of the historic Mabry Mill at Milepost 176 along the parkway.

Read more about Help The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Repair Mabry Mill's Waterwheel

June 24th, 2013

Check This Schedule For Music Along The Blue Ridge Parkway

Just as the Blue Ridge Parkway winds 469 miles down the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains through Virginia and North Carolina, so too does an Appalachian tradition of mountain music run deep in the history and culture of the people whose ancestors settled the region and gave it its special character.

Read more about Check This Schedule For Music Along The Blue Ridge Parkway

June 12th, 2013

Peaks Of Otter Lodge On Blue Ridge Parkway Set To Open In Mid-July

The Blue Ridge Parkway’s Peaks of Otter Lodge is scheduled to open July 15 under new concessionaire, Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts. Reservations are currently being taken for the upcoming season that will run through December 16.

Read more about Peaks Of Otter Lodge On Blue Ridge Parkway Set To Open In Mid-July

June 7th, 2013

2 comments

Reader Participation Day: Which Flowers Mean "Spring Is Here" In The National Parks?

The spring and early summer blooming season is well underway in much of the country, and for many people that brings to mind some specific varieties of wildflowers or blooming trees or shrubs that they associate with a particular National Park Service area. Do you have any favorite "park flowers"?

Read more about Reader Participation Day: Which Flowers Mean "Spring Is Here" In The National Parks?

May 22nd, 2013

5 comments

Blue Ridge Parkway Awards Concessions Contract For Peaks Of Otter Lodge

Delaware North Parks & Resorts, which last year landed the contract to run concessions at Shenandoah National Park, has added the Peaks of Otter Lodge on the Blue Ridge Parkway to its operations.

Read more about Blue Ridge Parkway Awards Concessions Contract For Peaks Of Otter Lodge

April 22nd, 2013

Can You Name The Most-Visited Units Of The National Park System From 2012?

Acadia, Yellowstone, and Yosemite are some of the most adored units of the National Park System, but they don't show up in the top 10 list of most-visited parks during 2012. They're quite a ways from the top 10, actually.

Read more about Can You Name The Most-Visited Units Of The National Park System From 2012?

April 4th, 2013

2 comments

Parkway Superintendent Phil Francis Retires After A Career of Parkway Firsts

Phil Francis, the National Park Service’s superintendent for the Blue Ridge Parkway since 2005, is retiring on April 1st.

Read more about Parkway Superintendent Phil Francis Retires After A Career of Parkway Firsts

March 27th, 2013

1 comment

Concession Opportunity On The Blue Ridge Parkway

The National Park Service recently released a prospectus soliciting proposals for the operation of Mabry Mill and Rocky Knob Cabins; two concessions on the southern Virginia section of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Read more about Concession Opportunity On The Blue Ridge Parkway

March 21st, 2013

Sequestration Cuts To Reduce Staff, Facilities On The Blue Ridge Parkway

The approximately 15 million visitors expected this year on the Blue Ridge Parkway—the most visited unit of the national park system—will find fewer ranger-led walks and talks, reduced facilities at campgrounds, picnic areas, and visitor centers, and perhaps a shorter full-service season. Superintendent Phil Francis says the goal is limiting the impact on visitors.

Read more about Sequestration Cuts To Reduce Staff, Facilities On The Blue Ridge Parkway

March 18th, 2013

13 comments

First-Ever Prescribed Burn To Be Conducted On The Blue Ridge Parkway

In a reversal of seventy years of “vigorously suppressed” fires on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Superintendent Phil Francis has announced that 150 acres will be burned near Doughton Park “to return the site to a more natural vegetation type” and “increase the quality of wildlife habitat.”

Read more about First-Ever Prescribed Burn To Be Conducted On The Blue Ridge Parkway

March 4th, 2013

INN Member

The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.

Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.

You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Blue Ridge Parkway

National parks and their natural resources belong to you. The National Parks Traveler works to ensure you know how these essential places are being cared for.

INN Member

The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

FREE for iPhones and Android phones.