Craggy Gardens Picnic Area on Blue Ridge Parkway restored after years of disrepair

Ryley Ober, Asheville Citizen Times
·4 min read

ASHEVILLE - Craggy Gardens Picnic Area on the Blue Ridge Parkway is once again a sparkling jewel of the national park site after enduring years like a neglected lump of coal.

Over the past several months, more than 20 Asheville volunteers put their sweat and strength into helping the beloved picnic area get a facelift.

The parkway is the most-visited unit of the National Park Service, with 16 million visitors in 2021.

The volunteers resurfaced doors and repainted the comfort station. They replaced broken or missing seat benches and straightened supporting pedestals. They wire-brushed tabletops to remove moss and mold, and sealed the newly-clean surfaces. They used new mortar to reinstall broken flagstones that used to line the entrances to the comfort station. They even added handrails to steps, helping improve accessibility.

“We did it!” said Nancy Midgette, a chair member of Montreat FireWise Committee. “After many hours of work and support from the Park Service facilities staff, Craggy picnic area is now a welcoming place.”

Restoration workers at the Craggy picnic area on the Blue Ridge Parkway replaced missing seat benches, straightened supporting pedestals and removed dangerous tables, in an effort to ensure the area is safe and welcoming to visitors.
Restoration workers at the Craggy picnic area on the Blue Ridge Parkway replaced missing seat benches, straightened supporting pedestals and removed dangerous tables, in an effort to ensure the area is safe and welcoming to visitors.

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Craggy Gardens, which includes a visitor center, hiking trails, a CCC-built shelter and a trail to the 5,892-foot-high Craggy Pinnacle, is one of the most popular sections on the entire parkway.

The picnic area has 86 tables, mostly made of concrete, with some concrete and some wooden benches. It was built in the 1940s, Brandon said. Time, harsh weather and lack of funding for upkeep all took their toll, she said. For years the picnic area was beset by broken tables and benches and a general unkempt appearance.

Craggy Gardens legend maps out where the picnic area lies along the Blue Ridge parkway, between milepost 364.5 and 367.6. Visitors can take the Craggy Gardens Trial from the visitor center to reach the picnic area, or start out at milepost 367.6 and walk along the Mountains-to-Sea trial.
Craggy Gardens legend maps out where the picnic area lies along the Blue Ridge parkway, between milepost 364.5 and 367.6. Visitors can take the Craggy Gardens Trial from the visitor center to reach the picnic area, or start out at milepost 367.6 and walk along the Mountains-to-Sea trial.

Brandon previously told the Citizen Times the disrepair was a victim of the park's nearly $400 million maintenance backlog.

More: Is Craggy Gardens picnic area on Blue Ridge Parkway falling apart?

This project was a part of an annual work planning process between local volunteer crews and district parks, which identifies and plans for volunteer projects at multiple locations along the 469-mile parkway.

The mortar, paint and sealer used to repair the picnic area were covered by park funds and cost less than $1,000, according to Bill Abbuehl, who spearheaded the event. The labor and equipment needed for the job came from coordination between volunteers and National Park Service staff.

“We are grateful to the volunteers who are so committed to improving the visitor experience on the parkway,” said Leesa Brandon, parkway spokesperson.

“This project is a wonderful example of the ways volunteers expand the capacity of NPS staff Parkway-wide. Projects like this one have a tremendous impact on our ability to meet the NPS mission of resource protection and provide for memorable visitor experiences.”

Restoration workers pose behind a newly-added handrail at the Craggy picnic area, which is on the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 364.4 – 367.6.
Restoration workers pose behind a newly-added handrail at the Craggy picnic area, which is on the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 364.4 – 367.6.

Craggy Gardens, named for its rocky, twisty “crags,” sits right on the parkway, between mileposts 364.4 and 367.6. Sitting about 20 miles from downtown Asheville, Craggy Gardens is a popular spot and regularly sees high use of its visitor center, trails, and picnic area, according to Brandon. Because of the work of volunteers and NPS staff, the area is now safe for locals or visitors to picnic, perhaps while enjoying the rose-purple rhododendron that bloom at this high-altitude stop on the parkway.

More: Nature Journal: Rhododendrons displaying blooms across mountains

More: Great American Outdoors Act: Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smokies to get millions for major renovations

The Blue Ridge Parkway is initiating two other, much bigger, projects this year as a result of the Great American Outdoors Act, which allocated $900 million a year to the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Broken flagstones, which used to line the entrances to a small comfort station at Craggy picnic grounds, have been reinstalled with new mortar. This was one of many projects workers undertook to renovate the area.
Broken flagstones, which used to line the entrances to a small comfort station at Craggy picnic grounds, have been reinstalled with new mortar. This was one of many projects workers undertook to renovate the area.

One of these undertakings is a full replacement of the 546-foot Laurel Fork Bridge, which will cost approximately $29 million. The other project, costing approximately $98 million, is a three-year repaving and rehabilitation project spanning 75 miles of the Parkway in North Carolina, from Milepost 229.6, just north of Doughton Park, to Milepost 305.1, near Grandfather Mountain.

Interested in volunteering on future projects? Visit the Blue Ridge Parkway’s website or send an email to blri_volunteers@nps.gov.

Ryley Ober is a news intern with the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at ROber@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Blue Ridge Parkway Craggy Gardens picnic area no longer an eyesore