Overlook clearing completed on the Blue Ridge Parkway
A worker gets busy with tree clearing. Donated photo
The view from the Pink Beds Overlook at milepost 410 on the Blue Ridge Parkway is looking a lot better than it has in a long time following a Renew the Views vista restoration project.
In March, a team of National Park Service resource managers cleared the overlook and many others to restore some of the scenic views visitors come to see. The team also completed other overlook clearing projects between mileposts 364 and 412 — from Craggy Gardens to View of Cold Mountain.
“It was like dropping a curtain and revealing a beautiful painting,” said Carolyn Ward, CEO of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, who watched the crews remove branches and fell trees at Pink Beds Overlook. “These are the views tourists hope to see and remember seeing, and to unveil them again is like uncovering a hidden treasure.”
This ongoing project began in 2015 and will continue each spring and late fall so as to have minimal impact on wildlife. Trees will be left where they fall to provide habitat and nutrients for the ecosystem.
Vista restoration is a part of the backlog of maintenance projects faced by the National Park Service on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The entire list of needed projects totals more than $500 million, including repairs to the road. This spring’s project was made possible by private donations to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.
