Remaining Blue Ridge Parkway Closures Require Time and Public Cooperation

On Friday, September 15, 2017, many sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway previously closed for downed trees have reopened.

Work continues in the following sections with these updates, including estimated opening times, from north to south include:

• Milepost 331 – 355, from the NC Minerals Museum to Mt. Mitchell, will be open by 5:00 p.m. on Friday.

• Milepost 355 – 382, from Craggy Gardens to US-70, is expected to be closed through this weekend.

• Milepost 393- 408, from NC-191 to Mt. Pisgah, will be open by mid-day on Friday. Power has been restored to Pisgah Inn and operations there will also resume mid-day on Friday.

• Milepost 443 – 455, from Balsam Gap to US-19, will be open by 5:00 p.m. on Friday

• Milepost 455 – 469 is expected to be closed through this weekend.

These sections of Parkway remain closed to ALL traffic, including cyclists and hikers. Attempts to route around gates and barriers require staff time, which in turn delays opening times. Visitors behind closed gates will be asked to turn around. The public’s cooperation with these remaining closures is important to personal safety as well as the protection of Parkway resources.

“Staff will continue their work during the weekend to address the large amount of down and hazardous trees in the remaining closed sections of the Parkway,” said Acting Superintendent John Slaughter. “While we are working to provide access to the Parkway as soon as possible, it is vitally important for visitors to respect the closures in place.”

Updates regarding visitor center openings and closure areas will be posted on the Parkway’s social media sites, @BlueRidgeNPS.

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com The Smoky Mountain Hiker is the author of the Smoky Mountain Hiking Blog and the online trail guide, HikingintheSmokys.com

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