The dam at Price Lake on the Blue Ridge Parkway was damaged as Tropical Storm Fred passed through the North Carolina mountains August 19 and the lake has emptied, the National Park Service says.
[Update: The NPS says it will try to repair the dam gate Friday, Aug. 27, which will require closing the Parkway from the Price Park Campground to the picnic area from 9 a.m. to about 2 p.m. If successful, the lake should refill in about two weeks.]
The NPS statement provides no further information about the damage but says fishing, boating and other activities in the lake are prohibited until further notice. The boat rental concession operator will be open with limited hours to offer firewood and some snack items.
The 47-acre lake is the centerpiece feature of Julian Price Memorial Park (Milepost 297 south of Blowing Rock), which also offers a large picnic grounds, the Parkway’s largest campground, several trails and ranger programs conducted at a 300-seat amphitheater.
- See our full profile of Julian Price Memorial Park.
WataugaOnline.com published the photo below along with several videos of the empty lake bed.
The Asheville Citizen Times reported that most sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway that had been closed due to downed trees and debris from Tropical Storm Fred had reopened by Saturday, the 21st.
The Park Service’s Blue Ridge Parkway web pages include Parkway road and facility closures but did not include Price Lake as of this writing.
Elswhere, the U.S. Forest Service reports “bridges out, trails eroded, and trees down,” which have caused multiple closures in the Pisgah National Forest near the parkway.
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