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Blue Ridge Parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Seeks Support For Projects To Improve National Park

Supporting your favorite national park sometimes means more than simply visiting and enjoying the vistas. Along the 469 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway there are more than a few projects that need to be tackled, and your donation to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation could help make that possible.

Blue Ridge Parkway Announces 2019 Pavement Preservation Work

Summer usually is the peak season for national park vacations and, unfortunately. it's also the peak season for road work. If you're planning to travel the Blue Ridge Parkway, know that more than 100 miles of the scenic road will be resurfaced in the coming months. And that means there will be some lane closures that will slow things down.

Consolidation In Managing The National Park Lodges

Who really does manage most national park lodgings? For the big operations in places such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, and Shenandoah, corporations. Not surprisingly, while many of the 500 management contracts administered by the National Park Service, such as providing firewood or operating a bicycle rental operation, are relatively straightforward, those for large commercial facilities such as lodging in Yosemite or Yellowstone are extremely complicated. David and Kay Scott bring some clarity to this issue in their latest article pertaining to lodging in the National Park System.

National Parks 101: Who Runs The Lodges And Dining Establishments?

Many travelers (readers of the Traveler excepted) mistakenly believe commercial facilities in the national parks – lodging, dining, and retail - are operated by the federal government. While national park officials have ultimate oversight on things such as pricing, these facilities are operated by private companies that bid for the right to rent rooms, operate dining facilities, sell T-shirts, and offer specified activities such as trail rides and guided tours. NPS rangers continue to staff visitor centers and offer interpretive activities, but nearly all commercial activities are handled by the private sector.

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