Mount Pisgah viewing platform off Blue Ridge Parkway to be closed during reconstruction

ASHEVILLE - After being evaluated by U.S. Forest Service engineers earlier this year, the Mount Pisgah viewing platform will be reconstructed, starting Oct. 23, in a collaborative project between the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service and the Carolina Mountain Club .

The renovation is expected to take two weeks, where hikers will still be able to visit the top of the iconic mountain in the Pisgah National Forest, but will not be able to access the viewing platform, said Kevin Brandt, a project manager for the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.

The reconstruction comes just after what is expected to be the "peak fall color weekend," but work is anticipated to go by rather quickly. Brandt estimates the project will take two weeks.

"I do think the work will go fairly quickly this week," Brandt said. "But, again, depending on whether the funicular could have a problem; there's all kinds of things that could slow that down."

The materials will require a lift up the 5,721-foot-high mountain, which will be provided by a cable car — known as a funicular — owned by the company that has a TV tower at the summit.

"We're working with Sinclair Broadcast Group who owns and operates a funicular — which I don't know how we get all these materials up there without it, quite frankly," Brandt said. "You'd need a couple football teams to carry all the lumber up otherwise."

The project is being entirely funded by the nonprofit Parkway Foundation, but will receive help from Carolina Mountain Club volunteers to complete the renovations, Brandt said.

The viewing platform will be the same size, but with a replaced stairs, deck and railings, with a cost in the "$20,000 range," Brandt said.

"But we are trying to get it back open to the public as quickly as we can, because we know everybody loves to go out there and enjoy the views."

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the primary fundraising partner for the parkway. Since 1997, the organization has donated $22 million in support of the parkway.

While the public access to the Mount Pisgah trailhead is off the parkway, about 20 miles southwest of Asheville, near the Pisgah Inn, it is on national forest land.

Some of the wooden boards on the viewing platform — which was built in 1979 — had broken or had been worn down by poor conditions atop Mount Pisgah, said U.S. Forest Service recreation manager Jeff Owenby.

"We know it will be an inconvenience for some, but the long term benefit is obviously the fact that we are going to have a new and improved viewing platform," Owenby said.

Owenby also noted that, despite the viewing area being closed, visibility for those who are hiking the trail is still good on top of the mountain.

More: Peaking soon: Some of the best hikes to see fall colors in WNC

Carolyn Ward, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation CEO, said one of the most exciting elements about the project was the collaboration.

"What makes me so happy and heartened is the partnership," Ward said. "The joining together of the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the Carolina Mountain Club."

"It's just a wonderful example of how if everybody comes together — and you stop caring about who gets credit for what and you just try to do the right thing — amazing things can happen."

The project was inspired by the memory of Lisa Hambrick Hagebak, according to the news release.

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Looking for a hike?

The parkway curves along some of the highest peaks in the Eastern United States, stretching 469 miles from its start at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, passing through Asheville, and ending at the entrance to the Smokies in Cherokee. It is the most visited unit of the National Park Service, with some 15.7 million visitors in 2022.

Here's what you need to know:

• What: Mount Pisgah provides a wonderful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains and parkway in fall.

• Where: Take the parkway to Milepost 407, about 20 miles southwest of Asheville, into the Mount Pisgah parking area.

• Length: The hike is 2.4 miles round-trip.

• Difficulty: The hike has 712 feet of elevation, making it a little more difficult than your typical hike. Bring some water and a snack if you find yourself easily tired.

Early snow on the parkway: Update: Blue Ridge Parkway reopened north of Asheville after brief snowy, icy conditions

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Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Mount Pisgah viewing platform on Blue Ridge Parkway to be upgraded