News

All but 11 miles of Blue Ridge Parkway is repaired post-Helene

By Lightning Reports, Published: October 5, 2026

Contractors have completed numerous critical repairs on the Blue Ridge Parkway just as the region enters its peak fall tourism season, restoring access to all but 11 miles of the 469-mile scenic roadway, the National Park Service announced.

The Hurricane Helene recovery work was funded by disaster funding in the American Relief Act, as well as the conclusion of two Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund projects. Additionally, the Parkway is restoring visitor services at one of the most popular campgrounds in the park. Visitors can now drive uninterrupted from the James River in Virginia— Milepost 63.7 — to Little Switzerland in North Carolina (near milepost 344).

“Of the 60 slide repairs required along the Blue Ridge Parkway following Hurricane Helene, 48 are now complete and work is underway on the final 12,"  Deputy Interior Secretary Kate MacGregor said in a news release. "This progress is restoring access for visitors while supporting the communities, small businesses and local economies that depend on the Parkway.”

Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout praised the repair job.
“October is an especially important time for tourism throughout the region, and these openings mean visitors can experience more of the Parkway’s fall scenery while having greater access to the communities, businesses and destinations along the way,” she said. 

Completed repairs in the Boone-Blowing Rock area include the Deep Gap Bridge at milepost 276.4 and loops B and D in the Julian Price Campground at milepost 297. Reservations for the campground are now available through Oct. 30 on recreation.gov. 

Final Helene road repairs, under way from milepost 344 to 355, are scheduled for completion by the end of the year. For regular road status updates, facility schedules maps and more visit www.nps.gov/blri.nps.gov.