Overview      

The Blue Ridge Parkway follows the high crests of the central and southern Appalachians for 469 miles, starting in the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and ending in the Great Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina . As the Parkway winds its way along the crests of the southern Appalachians it follows the Blue Ridge Mountains for the first 355 miles.  After leaving the Blue Ridge Mountains the Parkway weaves its way past the Black Mountains, the Craggies, the Pisgahs, the Balsams, and final ends in the Great Smokies in North Carolina (nps.gov.blri).

Of the 469 miles, 217 are in Virginia and 252 are in North Carolina (Adkins, 3).  The first section—12.49 miles—of the Parkway was built in northern North Carolina starting (Logue,10) on September 11, 1935 (Adkins, 3).  Completion of the Parkway came 52 years later as the last section was officially   completed on September 11, 1987 (Adkins, 3) around Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina (nps.gov.blri). 

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/>