Blue Ridge Parkway COVID-19 updates
If you are visiting the Parkway, you can help the National Park Service by:
- Avoiding high traffic locations, and opting to visit beautiful spots where it is easier to practice social distancing
- Stay at least 6 feet away from other hikers, visitors, and rangers
- Practice Leave No Trace principles, including packing in and packing out all garbage, staying on designated trails, and being considerate of other visitors.
For the latest updates on Blue Ridge Parkway developments due to COVID-19, visit nps.gov/blri.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Be Safe
Remember to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local public health authorities to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, including practicing social distancing; washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze; avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Most importantly, please stay home if you feel sick.
Take a Virtual Trip Down Memory Lane
You can enjoy historical scenes from the Parkway by visiting the National Park Gallery. Donor support recently funded the project to add these important historical images to the online database. Thank you!
Stay Connected
We invite you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter for updates on the Parkway and the good work you have made possible. You can also find updates on our blog.
Insider's Report Webinar Series
Stay connected to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the important work you make possible with the Insider’s Report webinar series. We hope you will join us to learn more about the park you love!
The Blue Ridge Parkway inside and out
The Blue Ridge Parkway was the first national rural parkway to be conceived, designed, and constructed for a leisure-type driving experience. Its varied topography and numerous vista points offer easy public access to spectacular views of central and southern Appalachian rural landscapes and forested mountains. It connects Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina.
As an example of pre- and post-World War II automotive rural parkway design, the Blue Ridge Parkway retains the greatest degree of integrity of any parkway in the United States. The Parkway is recognized around the world as an international example of landscape and engineering design achievements with a roadway that lies easily on the land and blends into the landscape.
The Parkway is the highest and longest continuous route in the Appalachian area. Along its 469-mile length, it provides scenic access to crests and ridges of five major ranges within the central and southern Appalachian Mountains, encompassing geographic and vegetative zones that range from 649 feet at James River in Virginia to 6,047 feet at Richland Balsam in North Carolina.
The Blue Ridge Parkway brings $980 million dollars to the adjacent communities annually. It is a primary catalyst for promoting regional travel and tourism, serving as a unifying element for 29 counties through which it passes, engendering a shared regional identity, providing a common link of interest, and being a major contributor to regional economic vitality.
Park Information & Maps
Visit the Park Website or View Operation Hours & Seasons
Reach the park information line at (828) 298-0398.
Be sure to stop in at a Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center along the way for camping, hiking, and more information about activities and sites along the route, or visit the National Park Service's plan your visit page.
Road Closures & Weather
Before you set out for a drive, ride, or hike on the Blue Ridge Parkway, check the National Park Service’s real-time closures map. Check the Map.
Weather on the Blue Ridge Parkway can change quickly too, particularly in higher elevations. Find out temps and see views from webcams. Visit BRPWeather.com.