The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is seeking support for critical projects that will enhance the 469-mile scenic route. The initiatives include repairing historical structures, rehabilitating trails and overlooks, engaging children in outdoor activities, and showcasing traditional mountain music for visitors.
Working in collaboration with the National Park Service, the Foundation has identified initiatives to improve experiences for those who explore the country’s most-visited national park. In 2023, more than 16.5 million people traveled the Blue Ridge Parkway. The park does not charge an admission fee, making it more vulnerable to funding shortfalls, decreased staffing, maintenance backlogs, and building closures.
“So many people love the Blue Ridge Parkway, whether they have visited all their lives, reside in a neighboring community, or enjoyed just one epic adventure here,” said Carolyn Ward, CEO of the Foundation. “Often they don’t realize they can play a huge part in the care and protection of the national park.”
The projects that require financial support span the length of the Parkway through Virginia and North Carolina and total more than $1.6 million. The list includes trail maintenance, overlook clearing, repairs at the Museum of North Carolina Minerals, and two historical landmarks, Mabry Mill and Moses H. Cone Memorial Park.
Projects & Fundraising Goals
Mabry Mill Roof Replacement (cost $80,000; remaining need $37,216): The Parkway’s most photographed site is in dire need of repairs. Mabry Mill’s weather-worn shake roof must be replaced to ensure the structure remains standing and continues to serve as a landmark where visitors can learn about early 20th-century life. This project will be the first phase of improvements to the historic structures onsite.
Volunteer Supplies and Training (cost $15,000): The hundreds of volunteers who donate their time to the Parkway each year require training, uniforms, and equipment to perform their jobs safely and successfully in the national park. A donation will ensure they receive the tools, gear, learning opportunities, and recognition they need for a rewarding role, while greatly expanding outreach to visitors.
Trails & Views Forever Program
- Restore the Views (cost $27,000; remaining need $16,800): Many roadside overlooks along the Parkway’s route are obscured by overgrown vegetation. The Foundation is seeking funding for arborist crews to unshroud the iconic scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina near the border with Virginia.
- Trail Needs (cost $85,000): In addition to more than 369 miles of official park trails, the Parkway intersects with the Appalachian Trail and Mountains to Sea Trail. The National Park Service is tasked with keeping each step of the way safe for visitors with minimal impacts on the surrounding ecosystems. Contributions to fund a thorough inventory of trails within the national park will give the Trail Program Coordinator and volunteers the assessment tools and critical information needed to prioritize and plan improvements while considering the impacts to the landscape.
- Linville Gorge Trail (cost $25,000; remaining need $12,500): The Linville Gorge Trail poses serious safety concerns with several downed trees, uneven and unstable terrain, and a steep tread that is eroding into the Linville River. Donations will commission a Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards team to clear trees, install stone steps and retaining walls, and create sidehill reinforcements at several major erosion areas.
- Humpback Rocks Trail (cost $15,000, fully funded): Humpback Rocks Trail is a popular route, so much so that erosion and vegetation loss has become significant and the possibility of injuries to visitors is a concern. The National Park Service will work with a consultant to realign the lower third of the route to protect natural resources and create a safer path.
- Trail Management and Oversight (cost $65,000): Through support for the position of Trail Program Coordinator with the National Park Service, work can move forward to identify trail priorities with Parkway staff, volunteers, adjacent public land agencies, and partner organizations such as the US Forest Service, state parks, Friends of Mountains to Sea Trail, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and Carolina Mountain Club.
Blue Ridge Music Center
- Programming (cost $70,000): At the Blue Ridge Music Center, the sounds of the mountains are preserved, interpreted, and celebrated through the annual summer concert series hosted in the outdoor amphitheater near Galax, Va. Ticket sales, grants, and sponsorships do not cover the costs of all the programs offered. Donations will create and continue programming that showcases mountain music and the region’s cultural heritage.
- Boost Milepost Music (cost $30,000): Milepost Music is a series of free summer concerts hosted from June through September at popular destinations on the Parkway. These Sunday afternoon shows supplement educational programs for visitors as park staffing shortages continue and help support local and regional musicians. This year, the Music Center is increasing the number of concerts at Humpback Rocks, Mabry Mill, Doughton Park, and the Parkway Visitor Center in Asheville.
- Light up the Stage (cost $63,000; remaining need $43,147): The Music Center’s stage lighting currently operates with outdated, high-wattage lamps that are expensive to replace and difficult to source. This lighting is no longer sustainable. Donations will purchase LED fixtures and converters that will supply energy-efficient lighting.
- Share a New Exhibit (cost $5,500): The exhibit Half-Tone Folk Heroes: Traditional Musicians as Pop Art is on display in the Luthier Shop at the Music Center. The collection of illustrations by Gina Dilg, a visual artist and musician from Radford, Va., pays tribute to the old-time, bluegrass, early country, and blues folk artists who have inspired generations, including the Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe, Joe and Odell Thompson, Samantha Bumgarner, and Etta Baker. Donations will support this fresh perspective on the intersection of visual arts and music.
- Visitor Experience Ambassadors (cost $28,550): The National Park Service faces many challenges when hiring staff for Parkway roles, including decreased funding and labor force shortages. To maintain enriching and engaging experiences at the Music Center, the Foundation is seeking funding for Visitor Experience Ambassadors and Event Logistics Coordinators who will share programs and information and assist visitors attending Music Center programs and events through October.
- Repair Solar Lights (cost $12,000): A safe walk from the amphitheater to the parking area is a key part of a safe and enjoyable evening at the Music Center. The Foundation is seeking funding to repair solar lights used to illuminate the parking lot.
Launch a Trade Career (cost $32,000; remaining need $18,000): There are more than 10,000 signs along the Parkway. The park’s sign production center is responsible for designing, fabricating, repairing, and installing these important features that orient and educate visitors with trail maps, overlook names, historical information, and more. The Foundation is seeking funds for an apprenticeship that will pass on the specialized skill set needed for a role in the workshop. The program is a collaboration with the Appalachian Conservation Corps.
Moses H. Cone Memorial Park
- Flat Top Manor Plaster Repairs ($174,617 needed): Crumbling ceiling plaster in three interior spaces at Flat Top Manor is marring the beauty of the circa-1901 mansion built by Moses and Bertha Cone. In addition to being unsightly and detrimental to the integrity of this historic home, it is a safety issue. Donations will fund repairs by professionals who specialize in period plasterwork.
- Bass Lake Accessibility Ramp (cost $80,000; remaining need $14,230): The picturesque loop trail around Bass Lake is a popular destination. Unfortunately, the gravel ramp that leads from the parking area to the flat trail is rutted and eroded. Donations will replace the gravel walkway with an ADA-compliant concrete ramp to the trail and restrooms for increased and safer access to this key feature of Moses H. Cone Memorial Park.
Repair Minerals Museum Facility (cost $43,000; remaining need $5,000): Since 1955, the Museum of North Carolina Minerals has served as a hub of information about the area’s rich mineral resources and mining history. The aging building’s exterior requires repairs, including the replacement of damaged wood and fresh paint. Inside, a new HVAC system is required to ensure adequate climate control to protect the exhibits. This project also includes refreshing the landscaping around the museum, installation of a new flagpole, and a ground inspection to address drainage issues.
New Programs at The Bluffs Restaurant (cost $25,000): The Bluffs at Doughton Park is known as a must-visit destination for homestyle meals and hospitality on the Parkway. Now, the Foundation is expanding its role at the restaurant by offering educational events and pop-ups to celebrate heritage foodways and build community connections.
Crabtree Falls Interpreter (cost $8,000): With the addition of an interpreter-in-residence at Crabtree Falls, the National Park Service will be able to expand its services for visitors to include demonstrations, campfire programs, and guided hikes to share details about the flora, fauna, and history of the area.
Craggy Gardens Repairs & Enhancements ($750,000 needed): At Craggy Gardens, the 71-year-old visitor center needs upgrades and repairs. The building’s restrooms are only accessible via an exterior stairway, are closed seasonally, and are prone to water system breaks. Along the surrounding trails, information is minimal, and the picnic area requires significant maintenance.
Donations for this initiative will help fund two sets of permanent, fully accessible waterless vault toilets at Craggy Visitor Center and another set in the parking lot for Craggy Pinnacle Trail; five new trailhead exhibits; and planning and design work to renovate and improve the visitor center, picnic area, and other site features.
Contributions for this project will be matched dollar for dollar by a $750,000 grant from the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority’s new Legacy Investment from Tourism (LIFT) Fund.
Kids in Parks
- Build a TRACK Trail (cost $6,500 per trail): Kids in Parks outfits existing trails with family-friendly TRACK Trail adventures. Each TRACK Trail provides one park with a trailhead kiosk, four custom activity brochures designed to engage visitors in the natural or historic resources, a feature page on KidsinParks.com, and prizes for children who “track” their outdoor adventures through the web app.
- TRACK Trail Mini ($2,500 per trail): TRACK Trail Minis are designed for small parks or sites and offer compact trailhead kiosks and feature one self-guided brochure.
- Reward Young Explorers ($5 per prize package): After children log their adventure through the Kids in Parks web app they receive prizes in the mail. Donations to purchase and mail these free rewards encourage children to continue their exploration of nature and the program’s TRACK Trails. Prizes include a Trail TRACKer Passport booklet, stickers featuring flora, fauna, historic structures, and scenery from the trail sites; a carabiner keychain; and a collectible prize card with educational information and activities.
The foundation is the nonprofit fundraising partner of the Blue Ridge Parkway, helping to ensure cultural and historical preservation, natural resource protection, educational outreach, and visitor enjoyment now and for future generations. Since 1997, it has provided more than $22 million in support for the country’s most visited national park unit. To learn more, visit BRPFoundation.org.
