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Blue Ridge Parkway sees close to 16 million visitations in 2021

Blue Ridge Parkway officials are urging visitors to "recreate responsibly." Courtesy National Park Service

The Blue Ridge Parkway saw close to 16 million visitations in 2021. Officials say some areas of the park are feeling the impact of overcrowding. 

The National Park Service says that the Parkway continues to rank as one of the most popular sites in the country. 

Statistics provided by Parkway officials show that there were 15.9 million recreation visits in 2021, a 13 percent increase from the previous year.

Numbers are also up when it comes to tent and RV camping.

While overall Parkway visitation has remained relatively stable over the past decade, overcrowding at some of the more popular spots has officials concerned.

Parkway superintendent Tracy Swartout says in a news release that congestion can hamper the visitor experience and damage park resources.

Swartout urges “recreating responsibly” by learning about park resources and trail etiquette. She says that with over 400 miles to explore, visitors can find plenty of options to enjoy the experience.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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