Visiting the Storm-Battered Blue Ridge Parkway? Here’s What to Know.

[Woolly Bugger]

The 469-mile route known as "America's favorite drive" has mostly reopened nine months after Hurricane Helene, but there are still detours and closures to watch out for.

When Hurricane Helene ravaged much of the Southeastern United States in September, the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway also took a beating.

Most years, the 469-mile parkway, which winds through the Appalachians in North Carolina and Virginia, tops the list of the most visited National Park Service properties, dazzling travelers with waterfalls, mountain vistas and lush forests. Despite the storm, the parkway still ranked second last year, with nearly 17 million visitors, after the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Landslides, flooding and fallen trees caused by the hurricane's heavy rain and high winds caused extensive damage to the parkway, closing the entire road for about two weeks.

Maintenance crews have repaired much of the damage over the last several months, despite layoffs and budget cuts at the N.P.S., though sections of the roadway as well as some campsites and a destroyed visitor center remain closed indefinitely.




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