Blue Ridge Parkway reopens in Asheville area after bear activity, icy tunnel closures
ASHEVILLE - Although it's just past peak fall color season, the Blue Ridge Parkway is once again completely open for travel in Western North Carolina.
According to the parkway's road closures site, the sections recently closed due to bear activity and icy tunnels have now reopened.
An 11-mile section of the parkway temporarily closed on the afternoon of Nov. 1 due to icy conditions at the southernmost section of the road, from mileposts 458 at Soco Gap/U.S. 19 to 469 in Cherokee at the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The scenic roadway is a total of 469 miles, spanning the backbone of the Blue Ridge Mountains starting in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and ending at Cherokee. It is the most-visited site in the National Park Service, with some 15.7 million visitors in 2022. October is usually the busiest month, along with July, with about 2 million visitors per month, many to watch the spectacular fall color fest.
While weather related closures are expected since the parkway ranges to elevations over 6,000 feet — sharing a climate more like Canada than Asheville — many visitors were dismayed when parkway officials closed down an 8-mile section Oct. 30 after reports of visitors approaching and attempting to feed and hold a black bear at the Lane Pinnacle Overlook.
The was closed from Milepost 367.6 near the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area to Milepost 375.6 at Ox Creek Road, a popular section just north of Asheville, at the height of leaf peeping season.
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The section reopened Nov. 6.
"Based on staff and volunteer monitoring of the area in recent days, it appears that the bear is not frequenting the overlook at this time. Park staff quietly transitioned back to normal traffic through the area earlier today in an effort to minimize extra activity at to the overlook," parkway spokesperson Leesa Brandon told the Citizen Times Nov. 6.
It is illegal to feed or approach within 50 yards ― 150 feet ― of a bear, elk or deer, or any distance that disturbs or displaces the animal, under the penalty of at least a $100 fine or at most six-months imprisonment, Brandon said.
"Use binoculars or a telephoto lens or a spotting scope to view wild animals. The public’s cooperation in following BearWise principles is essential to protect bears and reduce human-bear incidents on the parkway," she said.
The parkway has a road status update page at nps.gov/blri that provides the latest road closures for visitors to plan their route ahead, especially in winter months when statuses can change due to ice and snow.
Parkway officials ask visitors to plan ahead, know what the alternate routes are and prepare for changing temperatures at different elevations. If a visitor encounters a bear on the parkway, call 828-298-2491 or stop at the nearest visitor center to report it.
Bear safety tips
Parkway officials urge visitors and neighbors to keep food out of sight and follow the safety tips from BearWise, a national educational program developed by bear biologists and employed by the N.C. Wildlife Commission. These include:
Never feed or approach a bear.
Secure food, garbage and recycling.
Remove bird feeders when bears are active.
Never leave pet food outdoors.
Clean and store grills.
Alert neighbors to bear activity.
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Karen Chávez is Executive Editor for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Tips? Call 828-712-6316, email, KChavez@CitizenTimes.com or follow on Twitter @KarenChavezACT.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Blue Ridge Parkway opens Asheville after bear activity closures
