The popular area of ​​the national park will be closed indefinitely

Starting inside Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park and stretching all the way through the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Parkway is also known as “America’s Favorite Road” due to its length its very picturesque forest and mountainous terrain.

The Blue Ridge Parkway also happens to be the most visited park in the country, with over 13.3 million adventurers coming to see the untapped wilderness and also the thousands of deer, elk, black bears, coyotes and countless other species of animals that also call it home. .

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But as Hurricane Helene made landfall and wreaked havoc across the southeastern United States earlier this month, a large section of the Blue Ridge Parkway leading to Milepost 271 near the Great Smoky Mountains sustained significant storm damage – debris, fallen trees and washed away portions. road.

“The closures will remain in effect until crews can safely assess the storm damage”

Emergency workers are currently assessing the extent of the damage on various sections of the road, and according to the National Park Service (NPS), the entire area will be closed indefinitely due to extensive damage.

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“The closures will remain in effect until staff can safely assess the park and remove any storm damage,” the NPS writes on its website for the Blue Ridge Parkway, adding that it “will issue updates as they become available.”

The government agency went on to add that 99 NPS workers from 22 states and the DC area are helping with recovery efforts that include assessing damage as well as stabilizing any water emergencies and clearing downed trees.

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“Specialized skills and resources to support the road with urgent needs”

“The National Park Service has deployed its Eastern Incident Management Team, which brings specialized skills and resources to support the road with emergency employee needs, emergency stabilization of affected park resources, and damage assessments,” the NPS continues.

With Hurricane Helene causing more than 200 deaths, the Biden Administration sent more than 1,000 troops to hard-hit states like North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, in addition to National Guard troops sent by state authorities.

Inside the Great Smoky Mountains, the Newfound Gap/US 441 road was closed from September 30 to October 2 for safety reasons while the storm was still underway, but has now reopened to those passing through the park.

That said, visitors who were planning to come to the national park this week are still encouraged to postpone their trips to a better time, as many areas have yet to be cleaned up from storm damage, while staff can assist in the case of an emergency is also limited. Those who had planned to hike or explore the backcountry of the park are especially encouraged to postpone activities such as stream crossings and remote trails may not yet be secured.

“Several park employees in North Carolina and Tennessee are experiencing emergencies at home or unable to drive to work due to road closures,” the NPS writes for its Great Smoky Mountains page. “Many employees also help the Blue Ridge Parkway and surrounding communities.”

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