| 116th Year, 34th Issue | Thursday, March 31, 2005 | Sparta, North Carolina |
Most of the Blue Ridge Parkway is now open for travel, and some campgrounds, picnic areas and concessionaire facilities will be opening this week. All will be in operation by mid to late May.
In announcing spring openings, Parkway Superintendent Daniel W. Brown noted that the campground at Mt. Pisgah is joining Price Park and Linville Falls on the national reservation system. For more information, visit www.ReserveUSA.com on the Internet or call toll-free (877) 444-6777. The Parkway’s six other campgrounds and a number of individual sites at Mt. Pisgah, Price Park and Linville Falls will still be available as first-come, first-served.
All of the Parkway in Virginia is open. In North Carolina, there are only two closed sections—an eight-mile stretch just south of U.S. 221 at the Linville Falls community, and an 11-mile section between N.C. 80 and Mt. Mitchell State Park.
Repair of the Mt. Mitchell to N.C. 80 section is under way and should be completed by Memorial Day. Access to Mt. Mitchell is currently available via the Parkway from Asheville, but there is no through traffic and motorists must use the Parkway for the return trip. Brown cautioned that the Parkway is subject to springtime snow and ice, and that temporary closures are still possible. For information on current road conditions, call (828) 298-0398.
The Otter Creek and Linville Falls campgrounds and picnic areas will open Friday, April 1. Other campgrounds will open May 13. Visitor centers at Humpback Rocks and Craggy Gardens will begin weekend operations in mid-April, and all will be open by late May. Exceptions are the Museum of North Carolina Minerals near Spruce Pine and the Folk Art Center at Asheville, which are open year-round, and the Parkway Craft Center at the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, which opened March 15.
The new Blue Ridge Music Interpretive Center, currently under
construction, is also expected to open in late spring or early summer.
The Pisgah Inn and restaurant open this week, joining the Peaks of
Otter lodge and restaurant which are open year-round. Most other
concessionaire facilities, including the Bluffs Lodge and coffee shop
at Doughton Park and the Mabry Mill restaurant and gift shop at Meadows
of Dan, will open April 30. The water and sewer systems at Mt. Pisgah
are being renovated and ditching and the installation of new lines will
create some unsightly areas in the vicinity of the lodge and campground.
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