Blue Ridge Parkway

Violent Deaths in the National Parks

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on March 4, 2008 - 9:59am

During 2006, 11 homicides were investigated across the national park system. Two involved women who had been pushed off cliffs, one was a suicide, and one was the victim of a DUI accident.

Trails I've Hiked: Awesome Hiking Along The Blue Ridge Parkway

Submitted by Randy Johnson on February 12, 2008 - 2:18pm

The Blue Ridge Parkway's half-a-thousand mile ridge-top route between Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and North Carolina’s Great Smoky Mountains offers countless great hikes. Randy Johnson, author of Hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway and Best Easy Day Hikes Blue Ridge Parkway, leads the way to one of the East’s premier national park hiking experiences.

Park History: Exploring the National Parkways

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on December 20, 2007 - 3:34am

Along with "parks," "seashores," "lakeshores" and "battlefields," the National Park System counts a number of "parkways" that fall under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. Though most are incredibly scenic byways, there also are two major metropolitan arterials in this collection.

Blue Ridge Park Foundation Gives Back to the Parkway

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on November 7, 2007 - 10:23am

Another $100,000 has been given by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation to the Blue Ridge Parkway for use in educating students who live along the 469-mile-long scenic byway about the wonders of the national park system.

Fall's Brightest Colors Descending on National Parks

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on September 28, 2007 - 2:00am

With Fall officially under way, it won't be too long before the season's most spectacular colors are daubed, stroked, and splashed across the national park system. The good news is that you haven't missed the peak yet. The bad news is that if you don't already have a room reservation, you probably won't find a vacancy in any of the well-known fall foliage parks.

Amusing Looking Sign on Blue Ridge Parkway

Submitted by jersu on September 22, 2007 - 3:11am

I'm sure we all get the message this sign is trying to convey, it's just that it looks pretty silly! Can't you just imagine that rider saying "weeeeee"?

Top 10 Most Visited National Parks

Submitted by jersu on July 21, 2007 - 1:08pm

Ever wonder what the most visited parks in the system are? How about least visited? The NPS office of statistics answers this question once a year with an ordered, ranked table cataloging recreation visits to each of the NPS managed units across the USA. So, what is the most visited park? Read on for the answer.

Super-Scenic Motorway

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on May 14, 2007 - 1:13pm

Most of us, I think, envision the creation of national parks as a process intended to preserve spectacular beauty or a poignant moment in history for today and tomorrow. And while the Blue Ridge Parkway does indeed freeze a pastoral moment in Appalachian history, the impetus behind the highway was not so altruistic, as Ms. Whisnant's narrative points out.