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Blue Ridge Parkway

Battling A Pest To Save A Majestic Tree: The Eastern Hemlock Forests Of The Park System

The spine of the Appalachian Range runs north and south through the Mid- and South-Atlantic states, a rumpled stretch of mountains that long has provided a corridor for species. One uninvited species, the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, arrived in 1951, and since then has attacked hemlock forests once commonplace in Shenandoah National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Since 1988 the National Park Service has been battling the tiny insect, and has met with varying success in those three parks. While much work remains to be done, there is optimism some of the hemlock stands will be saved. In the following stories, we take a look at the campaign.

GAO: National Park Service Needs To Evaluate Its Approach To Tackling Deferred Maintenance

From Fiscal Year 2006 through Fiscal Year 2015 the National Park Service spent roughly $10.5 billion on deferred maintenance projects, and yet the overall price tag for deferred maintenance continued to creep ever higher, leading the Government Accountability Office to wonder if the Park Service's strategy for tackling the projects was sound.

Anonymous Donor Offers $300,000 Match For Restoration Of Moses H. Cone Manor On Blue Ridge Parkway

An anonymous donor is raising the stakes at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway with a matching challenge. Each donation designated for the former estate near Blowing Rock, North Carolina, will be matched dollar for dollar if the $300,000 goal is reached.

Conversation With A Concessionaire: Running The Pisgah Inn On The Blue Ridge Parkway

What does it take to run a lodge in the National Park System, especially a small operation that is not part of a corporate conglomerate? Traveler's lodging experts, David and Kay Scott, recently sat down with the owner of the Pisgah Inn along the Blue Ridge Parkway to discuss his business.

National Parks Are Managed In Very Inconsistent Ways...Or Are They?

Running more than 160 pages, the National Park Service Management Policies provides park managers with quick reference to how they are to manage their units, what uses are appropriate, and how to usher visitors out of the park when Congress fails to fund the National Park Service. But the Management Policies, which last were updated in 2006, also leave much to interpretation and exception.

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The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.

Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.

You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

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