Unfortunately, in recent years, vandalized or stolen signs have become all too common an occurrence across the Blue Ridge Parkway. Each sign is custom and the replacement or repair of signs is expensive, time consuming, and labor intensive. Designers of the Blue Ridge Parkway gave careful consideration to every part of the experience when they laid out the Blue Ridge Parkway route in the 1930s, including signs and fences. The Blue Ridge Parkway gets over 15 million visitors a year and many may not know that graffiti in the park is considered vandalism, no matter how small or superficially drawn. Vandalism in any setting is a crime.
There are many other ways to mark your journey through Blue Ridge Parkway such as immersing yourself in nature during a hike, taking a spectacular photo, or journaling. A section of the National Park Service’s mission statement reads: “to preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.” The National Park Service asks you to work together with them to leave the Blue Ridge Parkway a better place then you found it.
The National Park Service asks visitors and neighbors that if you are on the parkway and witness someone taking a sign or vandalizing park property, take down license plate information, leave the area, and call 1.800.PARKWATCH (1.800.727.5928) to report the incident to park dispatchers.
NPS photo