WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ten million more Americans and foreign tourists visited the nation’s national parks last year than in 2008, a 3.9 percent increase that marked the fifth busiest year ever for the National Park System, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today. “People both here and abroad know that our national parks are […]

From the Conservation Trust for North Carolina: The Cliffs Communities, through its philanthropic entity Parkland Trust, is marking the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway with a $10,000 donation to help protect land and water along the scenic road. The gift was made to the Blue Ridge Forever coalition of 10 mountain land trusts […]

A change in federal law effective February 22, allows people who can legally possess firearms under federal, state/commonwealth (North Carolina or Virginia), and local laws to possess those firearms in the Blue Ridge Parkway. The new law (Sec. 512 of P.L. 111-24) was passed by Congress and signed last May by the President. The new […]

Imagining the Blue Ridge Parkway for the 21st Century is a two-part conference and conversation about the past and future of this national treasure on the occasion of its 75th anniversary. Part I – History, Scenery, Conservation, and Community – will be held on April 22-24, 2010 at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. Part […]

BLOWING ROCK, N.C. – Blowing Rock is North Carolina’s prettiest small town, according to a poll of 32 in-state journalists. The Crown of the Blue Ridge won out in a close race with the village of Pinehurst in the scenic Sandhills area. The writers selected their top ten from a list of 45 nominated towns […]