No road, no room: Blue Ridge Parkway closure hits Pisgah Inn, owner talks economic impact

CANTON, N.C. (WLOS) — The entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway was shut down after Helene caused what the National Parks Service is calling "catastrophic" damage.

As a result, the scenic Pisgah Inn, which sits along the parkway at milepost 408, also had to shut down.

The Pisgah Inn is quiet, and the staff would ordinarily be preparing the building for the long winter.On a typical October day, the hotel room balconies are filled with leaf peepers enjoying their incredible view, but this year is different.

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Bruce O'Connell, the owner of the Pisgah Inn, escorted our crews to the now-vacant buildings to discuss the economic impact on his business.

Before Helene hit the mountains, O'Connell explained his staff was simply preparing for another storm.

"We battened down all the hatches... and just held on for what was coming,"O'Connell said.

The Inn had minimal damage, but that wasn't the problem.

"No power is a big problem; no roads is the biggest problem," he said.

The Pisgah Inn is a staple along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Guests stay overnight or eat dinner at the restaurant with breathtaking views.

But without a way to get there, O'Connell made the unprecedented decision to shut down.

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"We have lost the last week of October, we've never lost the entire month of October," he said.

Mike Litterst, a spokesperson with the National Parks Service, put the damage to the parkway into perspective.

"We are tracking about three dozen rock and mudslides which have covered the road; 9 of those slides have severely damaged the roadbed," Litterst said. "You've got mountain on one side and valley on the other; you simply can't drive around where the damage occurred," he said.

Litterst also recognized the loss of one of Asheville's favorite fall pastimes.

"We are keenly aware of how important the parkway is to this entire area, not just as an economic driver but a place of respite to get away, especially during these challenging times," he said.

However, Litterst stressed that the parkway is closed and people need to heed road closed signs and stay off of it for their own safety.

As of Oct. 9,Litterst could not provide a timeline for the reopening of the North Carolina section of the parkway.

While the economic impact of Helene in WNC is challenging to estimate, some experts have already guessed that the loss will reach billions of dollars.

"My employees are suffering, all the hospitality and restaurant employees in this area, I can't imagine how they're feeling,"O'Connell said.

After the closure, the rest of the Pisgah Inn staff was left to winterize the buildings and get a head start on renovations and projects. O'Connell said he is hopeful that the Blue Ridge Parkway will be back open and fully functioning by its opening date of April 1, 2025.

For more information about the Pisgah Inn, visit their website.