The Blue Ridge Parkway: America’s Favorite Drive

The Blue Ridge¹ Parkway: America’s Favorite Drive

The United States has over 50 famous, well-traveled national parks. Among them are Grand Canyon², Yosemite, Yellowstone and Acadia.

The country also has several roads called National Parkways. These long, winding³ paths let visitors experience nature, history and culture from a car. Like the parks, the roads are managed by the National Park Service.

The parkways cut through some of the most scenic⁴ parts of the country. One of the longest – and most popular – is the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Many people call it “America’s favorite drive.”

Driving out of the depression

National parkways are made up of scenic road and surrounding land. They were designed to give people driving cars a chance to see beautiful parts of the country. They also have been important for improving local economies.

The idea for National Parkways began in the early 1930s, during the Great Depression. The Great Depression was a difficult economic time in the United States. Families and communities suffered. Many people were without work.

To create more jobs and improve the economy, the U.S. government built roads that passed through beautiful parts of the country that had suffered during the depression.

One of these roads was the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Leesa Brandon is Public Information Officer for the Blue Ridge Parkway. She said the early goal for the parkway was to build a road through the Appalachian Mountains that connected Shenandoah National Park with the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

Work on the road began on September 11, 1935, in the state of North Carolina.

Brandon said the aim of the parkway… “was to become an economic engine for the Southern Appalachian region⁵.”

The road was not officially completed until 1987.

It is now 755 kilometers long, and runs from North Carolina to Virginia.

In the beginning, building the parkway created some problems for local communities. People who had been living in the area were forced to move. Also, people were not permitted to drive vehicles on the parkway while carrying items for sale.

But, in the end, the Blue Ridge Parkway brought jobs and money to the communities. And today, it is an important part of the local economy.

Brandon said the surrounding communities continue to depend on the tourism economy the parkway has created. In the last year, she said, the Blue Ridge Parkway earned over a billion dollars from tourism. That is more money than any other place managed by the National Park Service.

In 2017, it was also the busiest of any National Park Service site, with more than 16 million visitors.

Designed with care

The designers of the parkway were careful that road mixed with the environment in a natural way.

“Every curve⁶, every scenic vista⁷ is designed with so much intentionality,” Brandon said.

Stanley Abbot, an architect, was the first designer of the parkway. He believed it was important to have variety in what people saw. Along with the mountains, Abbott wanted visitors to the parkway to see the valleys, forests, farms, rivers and homes of the surrounding communities.

Brandon said it is hard to find any other place else in America where you can, in her words, “just drive over 400 miles [644 kilometers] without a stop sign, through… agricultural settings… to 6,000 feet [1,828 meters]. It’s just a really rich and scenic experience.”

Access for everyone

The parkway’s variety means visitors also can experience many different parts of the local Appalachian culture. Some stops offer a look at what life was like in the area during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The road passes by old homes and historic⁹ buildings.

Other stops introduce visitors to the music of the Blue Ridge area, as well as other traditional arts and crafts¹¹.

The road also goes through part of the Cherokee Indian Reservation¹² in North Carolina.

The parkway connects people to the outdoors, too. There are over 900 kilometers of trails along the parkway. People can hike, bicycle and camp along the trails.

Steven Reinhold is owner of Appalachian Adventure Company. He guides people on hiking trips on the many trails along the parkway. He says one of the appeals of the road is the “ease and accessibility it gives to all kinds of people.”

“Not everyone is willing to hike 30 or 15 miles [24 to 48 kilometer] in a day to get a great view. The parkway gives them the ability to get out, be in nature, enjoy a sunrise or sunset, either from their car or a short distance from their car,” Reinhold said.

Reinhold says his favorite place on the Blue Ridge Parkway is Waterrock Knob¹³, a mountain peak that stands over 1,800 meters tall. He likes it for its beautiful views and sunsets.

Reinhold said he is thankful for the parkway because it ties together all the different communities. He added that it would probably be too politically and economically difficult to build such a road today.

Knowing that helps him appreciate the Blue Ridge Parkway even more.

“Now that we have it were all just in love with in and glad that it’s here,” he said.

I’m Phil Dierking.

And I'm Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

accessibility - n. able to be reached or approached?

attractions - n. something interesting or enjoyable that people want to visit, see, or do?

craft¹⁰ - n. an activity that involves making something in a skillful¹⁴ way by using your hands?

curve - v. to turn or change from a straight line, shape, or path to a smooth, rounded one?

glimpse¹⁵ - n. to look at or see (something or someone) for a very short time?

heritage¹⁶ - n. the traditions, achievements, beliefs, etc., that are part of the history of a group or nation — usually singular¹⁷?

hike - n. to walk a long distance especially for pleasure or exercise : to go on a hike?

intent⁸ - n. the thing that you plan to do or achieve?

region - n. a part of a country, of the world, etc., that is different or separate from other parts in some way?

variety - n. a number or collection of different things or people

vista - n. a large and beautiful view of an area of land or water

1 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

2 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

3 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

4 scenic   

adj.自然景色的，景色优美的

参考例句：

• The scenic beauty of the place entranced the visitors.这里的美丽风光把游客们迷住了。
• The scenic spot is on northwestern outskirts of Beijing.这个风景区位于北京的西北远郊。

5 region   

n.地区，地带，区域；范围，幅度

参考例句：

• The students went to study the geology of that region.学生们去研究那个地区的地质情况。
• It is unusual to see snow in this region.这个地区难得见到雪。

6 curve   

n.曲线，弯曲，曲球；v.弯，使...弯曲

参考例句：

• The train slowed its speed as it went around the curve.火车在弯道行驶时放慢了速度。
• The path of an arrow is a curve.箭的轨迹是一条曲线。

7 vista   

n.远景，深景，展望，回想

参考例句：

• From my bedroom window I looked out on a crowded vista of hills and rooftops.我从卧室窗口望去，远处尽是连绵的山峦和屋顶。
• These uprisings come from desperation and a vista of a future without hope.发生这些暴动是因为人们被逼上了绝路，未来看不到一点儿希望。

8 intent   

adj.急切的，专心的，专注的；n.意图，意向

参考例句：

• He was intent on the job he was doing.他专心致志于正在做的工作。
• His plan is incompatible with my intent.他的计划与我的意图不相符。

9 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

10 craft   

n.工艺，手艺；小船，飞机；行业；诡计

参考例句：

• The harbour was full of pleasure craft.港口满是游艇。
• He's a master of his craft.他有一手好手艺。

11 crafts   

n.工艺( craft的名词复数 )；行业；飞机；飞行器

参考例句：

• traditional crafts like basket-weaving 像编篮子之类的传统工艺
• an arts and crafts emporium 工艺品商店

12 reservation   

n.保留条件，限制条件；预订座位

参考例句：

• The instruction should be carried out without any reservation.应当不折不扣地执行这个指示。
• I accept your statement without reservation.我完全相信你的话。

13 knob   

n.球形把手，球形柄，旋钮，小块

参考例句：

• There is a knob of butter on the table.桌子上有一小块黄油。
• This knob is only held on by sellotape.这个旋钮只是用透明胶带固定住的。

14 skillful   

adj.灵巧的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Soon they became very skillful in answering such questions.很快他们就会很熟练地回答这种问题了。
• It was very skillful of you to repair my bicycle.你修好了我的自行车，技术真好。

15 glimpse   

vt.瞥见；n.一瞥，一看

参考例句：

• One glimpse at himself in the mirror was enough.让他照着镜子看自己一眼就够了。
• She catches a glimpse of a car in the distance.她一眼就瞥见了远处的汽车。

16 heritage   

n.传统，遗产，继承物

参考例句：

• The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.这些古建筑是民族遗产的一部分。
• We Chinese have a great cultural heritage.我们中国人有伟大的文化遗产。

17 singular   

adj.个人的，单数的，独一的，唯一的，非凡的；n.单数

参考例句：

• The young man has a singular ear for music.这个年轻人对音乐有非凡的欣赏力。
• The noun is in the singular.这个名词是单数形式。