The scenic Blue Ridge Parkway remains closed following the catastrophic impact of Helene

CNN
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According to the National Park Service, the iconic Blue Ridge Parkway — which stretches for more than 400 miles — remains closed with no reopening date.

“The Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia is closed along its entire length as crews continue their assessment of damage from Hurricane Helene,” NPS spokesman Mike Litterst told CNN.

Blue Ridge Parkway employees and NPS staff from 32 states and the District of Columbia are working on the recovery effort, Litterst said.

“Based on what teams have seen so far, significant and in some cases catastrophic damage has occurred along the parkway, particularly from milepost 280 to milepost 469,” Litterst added.

Assessment teams will determine the extent of the damage and provide a schedule and cost estimates for repairs.

“An expected reopening date for a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina has not yet been determined; The assessment teams are finishing their work in Virginia,” Litterst said.

Images shared by the speaker showed fallen trees and road flooding near Gooch Gap.

The Parkway was listed as the most visited NPS site in 2023 with 16.75 million visits, CNN previously reported.