An inability to hire enough staff for this summer is forcing Blue Ridge Parkway officials to close the Otter Creek Campground for the season on August 24.

With at least three recent reports of visitor encounters with black bears, the Blue Ridge Parkway staff is urging visitors to be cautious of the bruins.

Blue Ridge Parkway rangers were seeking information Wednesday regarding a hit-and-run incident that killed a 33-year-old North Carolina man.

Two studies – one spotlighting segregation at national parks in Virginia from 1916-1965 and the other showcasing where African Americans recreated from the late 19th through the early 21st century—are setting the stage for new national historic landmark designations, listings on the National Register of Historic Places, and opportunities for national parks to be more candid about their past.