Blue Ridge Parkway officials are putting together a plan to boost tourism on the scenic road and increase the economic impact in the nearby communities.
When about 150 people gathered in Blowing Rock last month for the Blue Ridge Rising summit, it marked the first time that stakeholders from all of the 29 counties traversed by the parkway came together to plan for its future.
Topics included developing itineraries for visitors who are looking for specific things like kid-friendly hikes or dog-friendly trails. Or how to bring more people to underused parts of the park.
Almost 16 million people visited the parkway in 2021, making it the most visited of the country’s national parks. The vast majority are there to take in the spectacular views, says Carolyn Ward, CEO of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.
She says the mountain region is among the most resilient against climate change. And that could lead to more people coming into the area, creating a threat to those vistas.
"There’s going to be enormous population increases in this area," she says. "So if we can collectively come together and think about how we plan for that, it will help us protect the mountains, protect the views. You could just imagine what the viewshed along the parkway could look like if we are not careful.”
Ward says the summit and an earlier series of regional meetings led to almost 60 action strategies. A full plan is expected to be finalized in the coming months, but some of the ideas are already being implemented.