Campgrounds on the Blue Ridge Parkway are starting to open up now.  The Mount Pisgah Inn and Lodge are open now, and the construction work on the Parkway there is complete.  Both lanes should be open again, so that will make things a lot easier - no detours through the Brevard Forest to get around.  Its still a bit brisk if you are camping at higher elevations near the Parkways, but it looks like spring is finally arriving in western North Carolina.

Campgrounds opening:

• Linville Falls will opened April 1 and will close Oct. 31.
• Otter Creek will opened April 1 and will close Nov. 1.
• Doughton Park, which is under construction, will open in mid-July and close Oct. 31.
• Peaks of Otter will open May 13 and close Nov. 1.
• Mount Pisgah Campground and all other campgrounds will open May 13 and close Oct. 31.

The Blue Ridge Parkway around mileposts 399-405 has been closed since Fall because of a rockslide. It's finally open again, and that's music to my ears. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a beautiful drive, and that section is instrumental in getting from Asheville to the Graveyard Fields, Devils Courthouse area. Devil's Courthouse Overlook is cool, but I much prefer the waterfall down below. Having that section of the Parkway open makes it so much easier to get there.

Get more details on road closures and conditions on the Blue Ridge Parkway, along with weather reports, by calling the Parkway information line at (828) 298-0398.