Overview
The
Of the 469 miles, 217 are in
Traveling along the Parkway’s 469 miles an unrivaled assortment of
climate zones, vegetation zones, physiographic zones, and geological features
are encountered. Parkway lands
consist of over 70,000 acres of varying forest types and ages.
At the highest elevations spruce-fir forests can be found.
Mixed hardwoods of the cove hardwood forests are located at mid- to
low-elevations in the moist coves and hollows.
And in the driest, hottest sites oak-pine forests reside.
In addition to forest types other environmental systems exist on Parkway
lands, which include wetland types such as the southern Appalachian bog, high
elevation seeps, swamp-forest bog complex, and bottomland (floodplain) forest
(nps.gov.blri).
Found within the Parkway’s 81,000 acres of land are 400 streams (150
headwaters), 47 Natural Heritage Areas, a variety of slopes and exposures, and
an estimated 100 plus soil types. Within
the Parkway’s 81,000 acres there lies a difference of 5,700 feet in elevation
range. Such a large range in
elevation provides suitable habitat for both northern and southern species of
plants and animals. The following
plant and animal biota can be found within the Parkway’s borders:
a. 14 major vegetation types
b.
Over 1,400 species of vascular plants
c.
50 threatened or endangered species of vascular plants
d.
~ 100 species of non-native plants
e.
~ 100 species of trees
f.
~ 400 species of mosses
g.
~ 2000 species of fungi
h.
54 species of mammals
i. 50+ species of salamanders
j.
~ 40 species of both
reptiles and amphibians
k.
159 species of birds (nesting); dozens more pass through in migrations
(nps.gov.blri)
The various wonders of the Parkway can be explored on any of the 100+ Park
Service Trails. A large number of
the trails are easy to moderately easy with some being self-guiding trails.
More than 25 million visitors annually take the opportunity to visit the
Parkway and enjoy the many wonders and splendor that it has to offer
(Adkins, 2).
Works Cited
Adkins, Leonard M. Walking the Blue Ridge: A Guide to
the Trails of the Blue Ridge
Parkway. 3rd ed. Chapel Hill and London: The
University of North Carolina
Press, 2003.
Logue, Victoria, Frank
Logue, and Nicole Blouin. Guide to the Blue Ridge Parkway.
2nd ed. Birmingham: Menasha Ridge, 2003.
National Park Service: Blue Ridge. 2006. National Park Service U.S.
Department of
the Interior. 21 April 2006. <http://www.nps.gov/blri/>