NC/VA (December 8, 2016)…Effective today, officials at the Blue Ridge Parkway have lifted the burn ban that has been in effect since November 9th, 2016. Fires were initially banned on the Parkway due to unusually dry and hot conditions that promoted high fire danger in the area. With the lifting of burn bans by both the states of Virginia and North Carolina and a shift in weather to cooler and wetter conditions, officials felt it was safe to lift the ban.
Visitors are reminded that although the burn ban has been lifted, the lighting and maintaining of fires on the Parkway is limited to campgrounds, picnic areas and Backcountry campsites (with a permit) only.
The Blue Ridge Parkway, in linking the Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks, is dedicated to enhancing the outstanding scenic and recreational qualities of the corridor that it traverses; conserving unimpaired its significant natural and cultural resources, and promoting in perpetuity the public enjoyment and appreciation of the central and southern Appalachian Mountains. Learn more about the Parkway at www.nps.gov/blri.