All of Blue Ridge Parkway open after Irma’s heavy rains

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The entire Blue Ridge Parkway has reopened after the heavy rains of Hurricane Irma forced the closure of some parts of it.

The National Park Service said the last of the debris from the storm was cleared away Thursday at Craggy Gardens near Asheville. Parts of the road were closed because the storm made traffic unsafe in some places.

The 469 miles (755 kilometres) of the parkway were open for travel Friday, the first day of fall.

Mount Mitchell State Park is also open. Mount Mitchell is the highest peak in the eastern United States, at 6,684 feet (2,037 metres).

October is the busiest month for the parkway. Last year, 2 million people visited to see the fall colours across the mountains of western North Carolina and Virginia.