Strategic Priorities

Blue Ridge Parkway Strategic Priorities

Blue Ridge Parkway leadership and staff have developed these strategic priorities to provide focus for day to day operations and influence decisions when presented with new opportunities for the next three to five years. These strategic priorities are built around the park’s mission and fundamental resources and values.

Park Purpose

The purpose of the Blue Ridge Parkway is to connect Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks via a scenic parkway, with areas for recreation, through the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia and North Carolina, and to preserve natural and cultural resources while providing opportunities for public enjoyment.

 

Vehicles drive down the winding parkway.

NPS Photo/A Armstrong

Blue Ridge Parkway Fundamental Resources & Values

Fundamental resources and values are those features, systems, processes, experiences, stories, scenes, sounds, smells, or other attributes determined to merit primary consideration during planning and management processes because they are essential to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance.

• Designed Landscape & Scenic Integrity
• Leisure Driving Experience
• Recreational Areas & Related Opportunities
• Diversity of Habitat
• Examples of Appalachian History & Culture

 

The Puckett Cabin sits beyond an expanse of lush, green grass.

Photo by Joshua T. Moore.

Strategic Priorities

Developed in 2020, these strategic priorities will guide the work of the parkway for the coming years as they help proactively prioritize projects and initiatives. It’s not about more work, it’s about which work.

1. Care for the Corridor: Protect and improve the roadway, bridges and tunnels, scenic overlooks, and vistas.
2. Invest in Campgrounds & Picnic Areas: Improve infrastructure parkwide of these classic and popular park features.
3. Focus on Employees: Support all employees in their work.
4. Protect Park Boundaries & Fundamental Resources: Invest in the integrity of the park boundary and protect natural resources and critical habitat.
5. Inspire New Park Stewards: Improve educational, recreational, and other visitor experiences.
6. Determine Future of Select Park Structures: Develop strategy for future of vacant and often deteriorating historic structures.

 

Open Transcript 

Transcript

The Blue Ridge Parkway is many things… It is the longest road planned as a single unit in the US It is a series of panoramic views and parks providing access to high mountain passes, waterfalls, deep forests and upland meadows It is the sound of a fiddle on a cool summer’s night and a campfire warming the morning’s coffee It is world class outdoor recreation opportunities It is an economic engine for communities across southern Appalachia and one of the most visited national park units in the United States

The time is right …

To make strategic decisions and investments that protect these experiences for future generations The time is right…

To let the park’s strategic priorities, guide our actions.

We must take actions that protect and improve the roadway, bridges and tunnels, scenic overlooks, and vistas.

We must act now to rehabilitate these classic and well-loved park features. We must ensure park staff are well trained and equipped to do their work.

We must advance educational, recreational, and other visitor experiences. We must act now to develop a strategy for the future of vacant park structures.

We must invest in the integrity of the park boundary to protect natural resources, critical habitats, and cultural landscapes We invite you to find yourself in this important work.

Duration:

1 minute, 43 seconds

Learn about the Parkway's 6 strategic priorities that will create a framework for decision making in the coming years.

 

2021 Virtual Open House Sessions

During National Park Week 2021 Blue Ridge Parkway Managers and subject matter experts hosted a series of virtual open house events to share information and updates for the upcoming season.

You can find the recordings for these sessions below.

 

• 

  Virtual Open House - General Introductory Session

  The Blue Ridge region is an area steeped in tradition and is recognized worldwide for its natural and cultural richness. The Blue Ridge Parkway stretches 469 miles through the region, tying together a diverse landscape and lifestyle–connecting the past with the present and preserving the region's heritage for the future. This session provides attendees a brief introduction and orientation to the Blue Ridge Parkway and an opportunity to consider the complexity of managing this 469-mile linear park. 

  Duration:

  19 minutes, 29 seconds

 

• 

  Virtual Open House - Caring for the Corridor

  The Blue Ridge Parkway is a designed landscape and built environment with the central feature being a 469-mile motor route traversing the ridges and valleys of Southern Appalachia in Virginia and North Carolina. The care and keeping of this resource - the road, the overlooks, the bridges, the tunnels – is an enormous task, one that requires careful planning and day to day management. Learn more about this and how to be good neighbor in this session.

  Duration:

  20 minutes, 14 seconds

 

• 

  Virtual Open House - Inspiring Park Stewards

  Blue Ridge Parkway staff work throughout the year to create high quality interpretive and educational experiences and programs. Telling park stories in the 21st Century means considering a shift from traditional models of visitor services, interpretation and education to meeting people where they are. Panelists in this recording of a 2021 Virtual Open House event will share current and upcoming tools available to engage and inspire visitors of all ages.

  Duration:

  14 minutes, 36 seconds