Crews were working on Cumberland Gap National Historical Park to reopen roads and trails littered with trees. This photo is of the Chadwell Gap Trail/NPS

Editor's note: This updates with the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway closed.

As damage assessments and recovery work slowly progressed in national park units from North Carolina to Georgia that were hard hit by Tropical Storm Helene, National Park Service officials decided to close the entire 469 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway as a public safety precaution.

"Crews recently reached the northern, less impacted areas and determined that assessments for public health and safety needed to be completed," Park Service spokesperson Mike Litterest said in an email Thursday evening. "So the previously accessible areas were closed while they are completed."

Assessments completed so far have determined that "significant, and in some cases catastrophic, damage has occurred along the parkway, particularly from milepost 280 to milepost 469," he added. "In the coming weeks, the assessment teams will utilize the data from their inspections to determine the full extent of the damage, including the timeline and cost estimates for repairs. A projected reopening date of any section of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina has not yet been established."

Some parks have not reopened since the storm hit last week, while others are partially open. Among those still closed according to the National Park Service are De Soto National Memorial in Florida, Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia, Fort Frederica National Monument in Georgia, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site in North Carolina, Andrew Johnson National Historic Site in Tennessee, Congaree National Park in South Carolina, Cowpens National Battlefield in South Carolina, Kings Mountain National Military Park in South Carolina, and Ninety Six National Historic Site in South Carolina.

At Cumberland Gap National Historical Park at the confluence of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia, some of the park has been reopened while some areas remained closed Thursday. The Wilderness Road Campground and State Road 988/Sugar Run Road in the park have been reopened, while Pinnacle Overlook remains closed with the road to the Pinnacle closed at the Thomas Walker parking area. Lewis Hollow Road and Picnic Area is also closed, a park release said.

Park trail crews have cleared the following trails: Object Lesson Road, Wilderness Road, Tri-State, and Daniel Boone. Hiking on any other trail in the park is not recommended.

"Hundreds of trees have fallen on trails in the park, and additional trees are still at risk of falling," the release said. "Trail washouts, damaged bridges, and other, unpredictable hazards are also likely. Park staff and resources are stretched thin and emergency response may be delayed. All horse trails and bike trails are closed. All backcountry campsites are closed."

“Thankfully, no one was injured in the park during the storm," said Cumberland Gap Superintendent Lisa Baldwin. "We appreciate your patience and the support of our volunteers and partners as we work to safely restore access to this beautiful national park site over the coming weeks.”

The park visitor center, Bartlett Park, and Civic Park are open. Gap Cave and Skylight Cave have closed for the winter, while guided tours to Hensley Settlement are currently suspended due to access road conditions. 

On the southern end of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, the Park Service reported that "substantial sections are closed in Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and southwest Virginia."

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the Park Service were recommending that "hikers should postpone their trips to the southern A.T. until further notice (Georgia to Rockfish Gap, VA; NOBO miles 0.0 to 864.6). Although not all areas in this section are officially closed, there is still a risk of landslides in many areas, much of the A.T. in the south is inaccessible due to road closures, and emergency responders are at max capacity," read a statement on the conservancy's website. "There also may be dangers on the trail from the storm, like downed trees, severe erosion, washed out bridges, and swollen creeks and streams. Many devastated towns along the A.T. also have emergency orders in place excluding visitors so they can prioritize recovery."

At Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina, all visitor centers had reopened, but some ranger-led programs had been canceled.

"The Oct. 5 adaptive hike is canceled due to the unpredictability of creek crossings and potential hazard trees," read a statement on the park's Facebook page. "North Carolina-side programs are canceled, including programs at Kuwohi, except for Mountain Farm Museum demonstrations and Oconaluftee Visitor Center porch talks. Tennessee-side programs are continuing mostly as scheduled."

Damage assessments and cleanup, such as this at the Blue Ridge Parkway, were being conducted across many units of the National Park System in the Southeast/NPS