Hurricane Helene Recovery Update – 198 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia will reopen Friday, October 11th

Date of press release: October 10, 2024

Contact: Mike Litterst

Asheville, NC – The Blue Ridge Parkway from milepost 0 to milepost 198 in Virginia, which was closed due to the impacts of Hurricane Helene, will reopen at 8 a.m. Friday, October 11th. These include the 198 miles of 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 is open and the Eastern National/America's National Parks Sales Office is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m

• Peaks of Otter and Rocky Knob campgrounds will operate on a first come, first served basis through October 14th. From this point on, existing reservations will be taken into account again. Otter Creek Campground was closed for the season prior to the storm and will remain closed.

• Peaks of Otter Lodge continues to operate (it did not close following the storm).

The National Park Service hopes to reopen the rest of the parkway in Virginia within the next two weeks.

“Thanks to the hard work of the Blue Ridge Parkway teams, we are able to open nearly 200 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, an important and scenic route that embodies both the natural beauty and cultural heritage of our region plays an important role “As we celebrate this success, we also recognize that there is still significant and, in some areas, long-term work to be done in North Carolina.” We are committed to maintaining all sections of the parkway to the highest standards of safety and accessibility for our visitors to restore.”

Visitors should be aware that trail assessments are not completed in all areas and caution should be exercised when hiking. Additionally, they may find fewer services than normal as many personnel are assisting with operations in North Carolina, where the storm's impact was far more severe. Areas that were closed for construction prior to the storm remain closed.

The Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina remains closed along its entire length as crews continue emergency stabilization and damage assessments following Hurricane Helene. Updates will be posted on the Blue Ridge Parkway website at www.nps.gov/blri and on the park's social media platforms at @BlueRidgeNPS (Facebook, X and Instagram).

NPS