Blue Ridge Parkway is a road trip that you won’t get bored on.
- Blue Ridge Parkway is a road and long park, situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains area, in North Carolina and Virginia, in the United States.
- Blue Ridge Parkway is 755 kilometres (469 miles) long, and as a result, is the lengthiest linear park in the United States.
- Blue Ridge Parkway is a protected area governed by the United States National Park Service, and out of the all the areas owned by the National Park Service, it is the most visited.
- Twenty six tunnels and 168 bridges can be found along Blue Ridge Parkway; and some sections of the road can be closed due to dangerous weather conditions or repairs.
- The building process for Blue Ridge Parkway began in late 1935, and it was constructed by various companies, and while it was almost finished in 1965, it took until 1987 for it to be complete, due to protests from the owner of Grandfather Mountain, who wanted to protect it.
Part of Blue Ridge Parkway
Image courtesy of G N Basset/Flickr
- Much vegetation can be found around Blue Ridge Parkway, including, but not limited to, wildflowers, trees, annual and perennial plants, and bushes, such as rhododendrons and daisies.
- Blue Ridge Parkway has turn-offs that connect with other roads and highways, although it is not necessary to stop for traffic along the way.
- Speeds are limited to a maximum of 72 kilometres per hour (45 miles per hour) on Blue Ridge Parkway.
- Blue Ridge Parkway is popular with visitors due to its scenery, and during 2013, it was visited by a count of almost 13 million people.
- Blue Ridge Parkway is the home to numerous species of fauna, including 225 bird species, 60 species of mammals, 99 fish species and 31 species of reptiles.
Bibliography:
Blue Ridge Parkway, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ridge_Parkway
Nature & Science, 2014, National Park Service, http://www.nps.gov/blri/naturescience/index.htm
