Blue Ridge Parkway

Essential Friends + Gateways: The Boone Area High Country, An NC Parkway Gateway

The scenery and attractions of the lofty Blue Ridge Mountain bastion called the High Country are a pinnacle of the Blue Ridge Parkway experience.

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By NPT Staff - October 8th, 2013 1:26pm

Secret Sleeps, Tips For Snagging A National Park Campsite This Summer

There is nothing as traditional as camping out in the national parks for summer vacation. Reserving a campsite on www.recreation.gov can lock in a site long before you hit the road, but sometimes you just don’t get around to doing that. So what to do?

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By NPT Staff - May 12th, 2013 3:03am

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National Parks Traveler's Essential Friends + Gateways

Traveler's 2nd Annual Essential Friends + Gateways publication, a collaboration between the Traveler and a core group of national park foundations, cooperating associations, trusts, friends groups, and gateway communities, is aimed at enhancing and furthering the now nationally significant role of these organizations and entities in the preservation and enjoyment of our parks.

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By NPT Staff - May 1st, 2013 4:03am

Blue Ridge Parkway Awards Concessions Contract For Peaks Of Otter Lodge

Delaware North Parks & Resorts, which last year landed the contract to run concessions at Shenandoah National Park, has added the Peaks of Otter Lodge on the Blue Ridge Parkway to its operations.

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By NPT Staff - April 22nd, 2013 3:03am

Can You Name The Most-Visited Units Of The National Park System From 2012?

Acadia, Yellowstone, and Yosemite are some of the most adored units of the National Park System, but they don't show up in the top 10 list of most-visited parks during 2012. They're quite a ways from the top 10, actually.

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By NPT Staff - April 4th, 2013 3:03am

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Parkway Superintendent Phil Francis Retires After A Career of Parkway Firsts

Phil Francis, the National Park Service’s superintendent for the Blue Ridge Parkway since 2005, is retiring on April 1st.

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By Randy Johnson - March 31st, 2013 12:39pm

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Concession Opportunity On The Blue Ridge Parkway

The National Park Service recently released a prospectus soliciting proposals for the operation of Mabry Mill and Rocky Knob Cabins; two concessions on the southern Virginia section of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

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By David and Kay Scott - March 21st, 2013 3:03am

Sequestration Cuts To Reduce Staff, Facilities On The Blue Ridge Parkway

The approximately 15 million visitors expected this year on the Blue Ridge Parkway—the most visited unit of the national park system—will find fewer ranger-led walks and talks, reduced facilities at campgrounds, picnic areas, and visitor centers, and perhaps a shorter full-service season. Superintendent Phil Francis says the goal is limiting the impact on visitors.

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By Randy Johnson - March 18th, 2013 4:33pm

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Comet PannSTARRS Above The Blue Ridge Parkway

Over the next week or so Comet PannSTARRS will be visible near the moon after sunset in Asheville and along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. Bundle up and head outside at dusk. Although not visible with the naked-eye, it isn’t hard to find with an average pair of binoculars.

Tim Barnwell

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By Randy Johnson - March 14th, 2013 8:25am

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First-Ever Prescribed Burn To Be Conducted On The Blue Ridge Parkway

In a reversal of seventy years of “vigorously suppressed” fires on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Superintendent Phil Francis has announced that 150 acres will be burned near Doughton Park “to return the site to a more natural vegetation type” and “increase the quality of wildlife habitat.”

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By NPT Staff - March 4th, 2013 6:03am

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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