Parkway Closed

[rpk717]

I thought I would pass along some info I came across today. The Parkway is now closed from the Folk Museum near Asheville on past Craggy Gardens. There was a major landslide and I've heard it will be closed thru summer, possibly up to a year.:(

Anybody got any other information?

[rpk717]

(March 2008 Update) The Blue Ridge Parkway will be closed for all of 2008 near popular Craggy Gardens due to a collapse of a retaining wall below the Parkway near the Visitors Center. Parkway officials have closed off the area to all traffic, including hikers and bicyclists. The Craggy Gardens Visitor Center will be closed all year and access to Mount Mitchell State Park will probably be possible only from the north for 2008.

From Asheville, barring any weather-related closures, a visitor driving north on the Parkway will be able to travel at least as far as the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area, once the area is cleared of debris all the way to milepost 367.6. The Craggy Gardens picnic area is scheduled to open on Friday, May 9. Hikers can access some of Craggy's hiking trails there, but not the popular Pinnacle hike.

Right now, the Parkway is closed due to winter debris and ice on the road from Bull Gap at Milepost 355 all the way to milepost 375, just south of Mount Mitchell State Park.

The Craggy Gardens area is one of the most scenic on the parkway and is known for its rhododendron blooms in June. The section of parkway directly affected is only about 100 feet long, but there is no convenient detour around it.

For visitors to Asheville wanting to reach Mt. Mitchell and the Parkway north of Craggy, drive east on I-40 to exit 86. Follow U.S. Highway 221 North. To reach Mt. Mitchell, take U.S. 221 about 10 miles to U.S. 70 West, then NC 80 North. To get on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Little Switzerland, take U.S. 221 farther north to NC Highway 226 to Little Switzerland.