11 miles of Blue Ridge Parkway reopens in Asheville

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WSPA) – A stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway reopened Wednesday near Asheville.

According to the National Park Service, 11 miles of the parkway, from milepost 382.5, at US 70 near the Folk Art Center, to milepost 393.6, at NC Route 191 near the NC Arboretum, including the French Broad Overlook at milepost 393.8.

Following Hurricane Helene's pass over the area in September, multiple section of Blue Ridge Parkway were closed while crews cleaned storm damage. Sections of the parkway have reopened in recent weeks as crews remove debris.

"With today's opening, we have now restored access to over 310 miles of the Parkway." Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout said. "Incident teams and contractors have been working on this section for over a month, with large numbers of damaged trees, vast amounts of tree debris in the roadway, and heavy equipment at work simultaneously throughout the corridor. I am grateful for everyone involved in the effort to reopen this critical section of the Parkway."

The National Park Service warned while sections of Blue Ridge Parkway are open, visitors may still encounter hazards from landslides, down or leaning trees, washouts or other damage.

Visitors are asked to avoid parking on the road side other than in designated or paved parking areas.

Due to the severity of the storm, conditions on park roads and trails are expected to continue to change in the next weeks and months. Visitors should plan carefully for their visit and share travel plans with others in advance. For safety reasons, the park asks that people continue to respect all closures. Current known conditions and updates about the Parkway are online at www.nps.gov/blri and the park's social media platforms at (Facebook, X, and Instagram). New images have also been added to public domain image and video gallery .