by Jedd Ferris

It’s your road. The National Park Service wants to know how you’d like it managed.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is drafting its first federally required General Management Plan (GMP). It’s a 10-20 year plan that prescribes goals for the future of the Parkway, including everything from the number of campsites to cycling safety measures to the maintenance of historic structures.

One of the biggest concerns being addressed by the Parkway’s General Management Plan is the increasing use of state-owned access roads to the Parkway. The North Carolina and Virginia Departments of Transportation have recently suggested widening and paving many of these crossroads, which could result in additional development that affects scenic vistas and natural resources.

“Our concern is that widening these roads will make it more likely that people consider the Parkway a primary transportation route,” says National Parks and Conservation Association spokesperson Greg Kidd. “It could then evolve away from being a scenic-by way towards more of a commuter highway. That’s not why the Parkway was established. It’s a resource to be experienced.”

Viewshed protection is another important issue being addressed by the Parkway management plan. Air pollution has smothered many of the Parkway’s scenic vistas, contributing in part to the decrease in Parkway visitors in recent years. Shuttle services and alternative-fueled Park Service vehicles could help, says Avram Friedman of the Canary Coalition, a clean air advocacy group in the mountains. Telecommunication towers and rampant development are also threatening to scar Parkway views.

Meanwhile, cyclists hope the General Management Plan will address their concerns about bicycle safety along the Parkway. Because of its scenery, challenging terrain, and truck restrictions, the Blue Ridge Parkway is a premier cycling destination, attracting cyclists from across the globe.

Now in its third year of planning, the Parkway’s GMP is scheduled to be completed by next year. Parkway managers will present three alternative GMP plans by next October, and public comment will be crucial in determining which alternative is selected.

“It’s not an easy process in a park that’s 469 miles long through 29 counties in six congressional districts,” says Johnson. “We’ll be asking the public to react to the alternatives we come up with.”

But you don’t have to wait for the finalized alternatives-your input on Parkway management is needed now. The National Parks and Conservation Association provides a list serve that keeps people up to date on Parkway plans and activities. Email Greg Kidd (gkidd@npca.org) to voice your thoughts on Parkway issues and planning.

Parkway Turns 70

September 11 marks an anniversary of grief that our nation will never forget. But everyday also has a bright side, and this year for outdoor enthusiasts 9/11 can also be a celebration-the 70th birthday of the Blue Ridge Parkway. On September 11, 1935, construction began on what was the country’s first and longest rural scenic parkway. Fifty-two years later, the Parkway was completed at the Linn Cove Viaduct on Grandfather Mountain in the North Carolina High Country. Stetching 469 miles, the Parkway connects Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks-two of the most popular national parks in the country.

To celebrate 70, here are some Parkway tidbits that you might not know about “America’s Favorite Drive:”

• The Parkway was created primarily to put people to work during the Great Depression. The Civilian Conservation Corps provided most of the labor.

• The Virginia route of the Parkway was easily established, but a bitter rivalry developed between North Carolina and Tennessee for the rest of the scenic road. Interior Secretary Harold Ickes eventually chose a North Carolina route because the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests could be used as the corridor for the Parkway.

• In 1942 work on the Parkway was suspended due to World War II, with the Parkway two-thirds complete. Work on the remaining one-third was sporadic until it was finished in 1987.

• Before the Blue Ridge Parkway officially received its name from Congress, it was previously referred to as both the “Appalachian Parkway” and the “Shenandoah to Great Smoky Mountains National Parkway.”

• The Parkway is the most visited unit in the National Park System with 20 million annual visitors. That’s twice as many as Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

• The lowest point on the Parkway is 649 feet on the James River in Virginia, and the highest point is at Richland Balsam in North Carolina at 6,053 feet.

• The Parkway runs for 217 miles in Virginia and 252 miles in North Carolina.