A rockslide has kept the 14-mile section of the Blue Ridge Parkway between Maggie Valley and Cherokee closed for a week and counting. 

A motorist discovered the slide at milepost 467 last Tuesday (Nov. 24) around dawn and reported it to rangers. At the widest and deepest spots, the slide is 30 feet wide and 8 feet deep. 

There is no expectation of additional slides in the area, but the entire 14 mile section of the parkway from Maggie Valley to Cherokee had to be closed — from milepost 455 to 469.

This time of year, all work is weather-dependent, but Parkway officials initially estimated it would take a week to clean the debris and stabilize the slope. If more stabilization is needed than originally thought, or if winter weather restricts access, the closure could take even longer. The Parkway will be doing the work using its own staff.

Rockslides happen more often in the winter than at other times of year because the often-daily freeze-thaw cycle of water in the cracks between rocks systematically weakens them and can cause slope failure. When cruising the Parkway, it pays to be cautious and watch out for loose and falling rock.

Meanwhile, repairs to a tunnel on the parkway around Mount Pisgah have caused a parkway closure between Waynesville and Asheville through spring. Repairs to the Buck Springs Tunnel at Milepost 407 have caused a closure from Milepost 405 where N.C. 151 intersects with the Parkway to milepost 408 near Mt. Pisgah. Before heading to the Parkway, check for closures at maps.nps.gov/blri/road-closures/.