Blue Ridge Parkway Journeys

Update 4/27/2012

Blue Ridge Parkway historic landmark, Bluffs Lodge and Coffee Shop, could remain closed indefinitely

Economic conditions and planned road closures due to guidewall restoration will likely keep the favorite-destination lodge and coffee shop closed for the foreseeable future.  The operating concessioner (lessee), Forever Resorts (Scottsdale, Arizona)has indicated that they will not be renewing their lease arrangement with the park service next year.  Other properties that will be affected by their pulling out of the Blue Ridge are Mabry Mill, Rocky Knob Cabins, the boat rental operation at Price Lake near Blowing Rock, N.C. and the Crabtree Falls Coffee Shop south of Little Switzerland, N.C.

The guidewall restoration project will require sections of the motor road in the Doughton Park area to remain closed until 2012.  Experience with road closures from Hurricane Ivan when road slides have occurred and parts of the Parkway have been closed, visitors are very reluctant to venture beyond detour signs to visit an attraction or Parkway landmark.

Road closures at Doughton Park will not begin until after November 1 when the lodge formally closes for the season.

Up to date closures can be found on the Blue Ridge Parkway website, or by calling 828-298-0398

Facilities like Bluffs, the Pisgah Inn, and the Peaks of Otter Lodge are managed through concession agreements which can be favorable to the invested parties i.e. the concessioner and the park service when there are conditions of annual profitability, a long-term return on investment, and good visitation numbers for the concession operator.

The National Park Service (Blue Ridge Parkway) is accepting inquiries from interested parties through November 8.

The economic downturn and diminished Parkway visitation compared years past has affected concession decisions.

No one knows what the future may hold.

If you are planning a trip to the Southern Appalachians for the fall color season and want to stay in hotel or lodge accommodations, have reservations in advance. Many times I have seen travelers on the Blue Ridge Parkway during October thinking that they would just take a leisurely drive and find a motel room at the end of the day. In many cases they would find no room at the inn. I have seen people drive seventy five miles or more away from the park to find a vacant room.  

October is the peak visitation season for this region of the country and a pretty weekend can see huge crowds in the parks and surrounding communities.  Many small towns and rural areas will be hosting festivals and art events that draw hundreds if not thousands of people.  

October is also college football season. Colleges also sponsor their family and alumni weekends durng the beautiful fall weather. Such events can fill hotels for miles. You can check college web sites for their schedules. Some of the key colleges that may affect hotel availability are:

The University of Virginia
Virginia Military Institute
Washington and Lee University
Virginia Tech
Appalachian State University
University of North Carolina At Asheville

Competition for hotel rooms can be almost as exciting as some of the football games.
Traffic in prime viewing areas may also become congested which will result in slow downs and delays. So make sure your plans for the distances to travel are reasonable and attainable. Allow a cushion of time in your planning for heavy traffic. Come the end of the day you do not want to be hundreds of miles away from your planned stop for the night.

When ever possible travel during the week. Weekends are always the peak traffic times. Hotels rooms are also more easily obtainable on weekday nights.

Just past the Julian Price Campground is the Price Park Amphitheater at Milepost 297. If you pull out of the campsites and take a right, there will be a brown sign pointing to the entrance of the Amphitheater on your left.

Parking spaces face Price Lake and the boat rental area. The Amphitheater is to the far left of the lake and is not far from the road. Handicap parking faces the short path to the amphitheater. Loop A campsites run directly behind the amphitheater and places campers in the perfect spot for attending events.

This outdoor amphitheater seats 300 people and various events are held here during the summer and fall seasons. Tucked away by trees, and surrounded by Price Lake, it’s a relatively shaded area. Sunday mornings in the summer (June-August) church services are held and open to the public.

For more information on this amphitheater and possible upcoming events you can contact Parkway Headquarters at 828-271-4779.

The National Park Service Maintenance Crew from the Blue Ridge Parkway are continuing their work on the boardwalk for the handicap accessible trail around Abbott Lake at the Peaks of Otter (see blog post dated July 3, 2010).

On August 23rd workers were placing the boardwalk planking over the first section.  The planking is made of recycled plastic boards. This section of the trail will include an approximately 6′ by 6′ deck where those in wheelchairs can sit and enjoy the view of the lake and lodge. A future section of boardwalk will include a larger deck directly across Abbott Lake from the Peaks of Otter Lodge that could allow for those in wheelchairs to fish in comfort and safety.

The walkway will include bumper type curbing along the edges and handrails where the boardwalk crosses feeder streams above the lake such as the one shown above.

This project was originally planned eleven years ago and is finally coming to fruition.