Blue Ridge Parkway

National Park Service officials announced today that work will resume on a multi-year Great American Outdoor Act road project in western North Carolina. Intermittent road closures are set to begin in mid-March from milepost 280 to 285 near Parkway School Road, and also from milepost 291.8, at US 321/221, to milepost 305.1, near Beacon Heights and US221. Park visitors and neighbors can expect various sections within this corridor to be closed intermittently while work is underway. Staggered closures are planned in a way that provides continuous access to popular park recreation areas.

A section of the Blue Ridge Parkway from milepost 86 to 89, near Bedford, Virginia, will close on or around March 9, for a needed rehabilitation project.  The project includes pavement reconstruction, drainage repairs, signage and safety measures, and work is expected to be complete by summer 2026. 

The National Park Service selected Price Lake Boat Rentals, Inc. to operate visitor services at Price Lake on the Blue Ridge Parkway under a 10-year concession contract. Price Lake Boat Rentals is the current operator, providing boat rentals, snacks and firewood sales on the Parkway since 2013. 

The National Park Service selected the Southern Highland Craft Guild, Inc. to operate visitor services at the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway under a 10-year concession contract. The Southern Highland Craft Guild is the current operator, providing craft sales at the Folk Art Center since the facility opened in 1979.

NC/VA - National Park Service officials are monitoring forecasts for the upcoming winter storm and preparing for a range of potential impacts across the Blue Ridge Parkway. Based on current forecasts, park visitors can expect closures parkwide beginning the evening of Friday, January 23, 2026. Park visitors and neighbors should expect closed gates, as well as barricades in ungated sections.