The National Park Service reopened an 11-mile segment of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Asheville area this morning. This section spans from milepost 382.5 at US 70 (near the Folk Art Center) to milepost 393.6 at NC Route 191 (close to the North Carolina Arboretum).
With this reopening, the Asheville Visitor Center at milepost 384 will now operate daily, year-round, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the Folk Art Center at milepost 382 will resume operations on Saturday, November 9. While trails within this Parkway section are open, visitors are urged to use caution due to possible hazards such as landslides, leaning or fallen trees, and washouts.
Visitors are also asked to park only in designated paved areas, as heavy machinery is still in use. Since beginning recovery efforts, the National Park Service and contractors have removed over 350,000 cubic feet of storm debris from this stretch—a volume large enough to fill nearly 150 shipping containers.
There is no set reopening date for Parkway sections immediately north and south of this corridor. The NPS continues to assess extensive road and roadside damage, clear debris, and address numerous hazardous trees in these areas. Updates will follow as more information becomes available.
