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A National Park Service employee documents a collapsed section of the Blue Ridge Parkway following Hurricane Helene. Photo courtesy of National Park Service From the start, the very idea of the Blue Ridge Parkway was monumental. Just imagine the incredibly ambitious undertaking of constructing a 469-mile scenic route over and even through mountains to create a new national park.
Today, we face a monumental challenge—Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic destruction. We desperately need you to come to the aid of your storm-battered park. We have never tackled a greater task in the 27 years since donors like you became stewards of the national park.
Rebuilding presents a monumental task AND an enormous opportunity.
Behind the closure gates, the Parkway is unrecognizable. Thousands of mangled trees are strewn across the pavement. Nearly three dozen rock and mudslides severely damaged or washed out the roadbed. Half of the Linville Falls Visitor Center is simply gone. Much more damage to hundreds of miles of trails and dozens of structures is sure to be discovered.
Right now, you can make an investment like no other, for a park like no other. You have the power to heal the storm scars in our national park.
For those of us who did not have the opportunity to participate in constructing the ribbon of road, carving out the trails, or building its treasured structures, now is our chance to invest in a historic legacy.
Your generosity will reach far beyond the park’s boundaries into the hundreds of communities that rely on visitors to sustain their livelihoods. Helene closed the Parkway just as the busy autumn leaf-looking season was beginning, a time when millions of visitors boost local businesses along the route.
The Parkway is an economic driver that is crucial to helping these communities recover. In 2023, visitor spending totaled more than $1.3 billion and supported more than 19,000 jobs. It’s heartbreaking to envision the impacts on mountain towns if the Parkway does not recover quickly.
Your contribution is an investment for future generations, not just for their enjoyment, but their ability to make the mountains their home.
We are asking everyone who loves the Parkway to be a hero for this special place and the communities that enhance every Parkway journey.
Please invest in a legacy that will enrich countless lives and secure the future of our park and its neighbors.
With hope,
Carolyn Ward
CEO of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation