Hurricane Helene brought unprecedented devastation to the Appalachian region of North Carolina and Virginia, with heavy rains washing away homes and businesses and causing over 225 deaths across the country. One of the most famous destinations in the tourism-dependent region is the Blue Ridge Parkway, and recent photos released by the National Park Service show the scope of the damage to the iconic roadway.
In a Facebook post shared over the weekend, the NPS underscored that the full length of the Blue Ridge Parkway remains closed in both states. Noting that assessments of the roadway are ongoing, the post called the damage "significant, and in some cases catastrophic," particularly in North Carolina from milepost 280 near the Great Smoky Mountains to 469 at the Virginia State Line.
The NPS also released a trio of photos showing washed-out roadways, downed trees, and mid-road sinkholes.
According to the park service, a "phased reopening in Virginia" could occur in a timespan of "days to weeks," while reopening for any section in North Carolina is likely to stretch further than that as assessments continue and repairs get underway.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is the most-visited National Park Service site in the country, with an estimated 16.75 million people visiting in 2023. The nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park attracted an additional 13.29 million visitors. A recent study estimated that the Blue Ridge Parkway brings about $1.4 billion in economic activity to North Carolina and Virginia, and its recovery is sure to be of great concern to the entire region.
