National park to close several trails during building removal - Northern Virginia Dai

[WhiteBlaze]

<table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7><tr><td valign=top class=j><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class=lh><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-0&fd=R&url=http://www.nvdaily.com/news/294897347521128.bsp&cid=0&ei=BfNESPLVDaHGgAP3xvnKCg&usg=AFrqEzdPS2qXmIT5fBAesT0zU29886yYNA">National park to close several trails during building removal</a><br><font size=-1><font color=#6f6f6f>Northern Virginia Daily,&nbsp;VA&nbsp;-</font> <nobr>22 minutes ago</nobr></font><br><font size=-1>The work will close access to the <b>Appalachian Trail</b> and Marys Rock <b>trail</b> from the Panorama trailhead until the fall, a park official said. <b>...</b></font></div></font></td></tr></table>

More... (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-0&fd=R&url=http://www.nvdaily.com/news/294897347521128.bsp&cid=0&ei=BfNESPLVDaHGgAP3xvnKCg&usg=AFrqEzdPS2qXmIT5fBAesT0zU29886yYNA)

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

From the article:
The park will remove an old restaurant and gift shop at the intersection of U.S. 211 and Skyline Drive near the Thornton Gap entrance station. The work will close access to the Appalachian Trail and Marys Rock trail from the Panorama trailhead until the fall, a park official said...............The buildings also housed a backcountry camping permit station. Park visitors can obtain similar permits at 10 other locations throughout the park, the release states.
Building removal will close the Marys Rock and Appalachian Trail trailhead, and both upper and lower parking areas within Panorama.
"Access from those parking lots will be restricted because [it is] part of the construction process itself," Beck-Herzog said.
The park will highlight alternative day hikes in lieu of the closed access to Marys Rock and Appalachian Trail.
Alternatives include hikes along Compton Peak at milepost 10, Little Stony Man at milepost 39 and Stony Man Mountain Summit at milepost 41.6, the release reads. Other alternative day hikes include Bearfence Mountain and Hawksbill Mountain Summit at milepost 46.7.I assume this will not affect the trail itself, but only the access via this location. Does anyone know for sure?

[Lone Wolf]

there's no reason it will effect the actual trail. just parking

[Appalachian Tater]

The parking lot is being closed for the construction so there is no trail access (i.e., parking or backcountry permits) at that location. The trail itself will not be closed.

http://www.nps.gov/shen/parknews/upload/panorama_closures_handout.pdf

[teachergal]

This location has very easy access to the trail - the parking lot is accessible from 211 and the AT runs about 10 ft from the parking area. The AT will still be open. You can still hike to Mary's Rock - just start from the Meadow Spring parking area and go up a blue blazed trail to the AT.

For those familar with the area, they are tearing down what used to be Panorama. The resteraunt closed several years ago and they had just a gift shop for a year or so then the gift shop closed. There was talk of turning it into a museum, but I guess that fell through. Skyline would likley know more.

[BlackCloud]

Another tabgible example of how visitation at National Parks is down. Shenandoah NP has seen a drastic reduction in visitation over the past decades.

And I mean REAL visitors, not motorcyclists looking for a curvy road w/o commercial traffic.....

[Christopher Robin]

Will the A.T. give us a way to get back on to the trail so Thuk-hikers will not get lost?

[warren doyle]

Just hiked by there yesterday late afternoon.
How ironic. You have to pay $15 to gain access to the Skyline Drive (it use to be free) and you have less services (they even removed the pay phones from the Loft Mt. CG areas).
Leave it up to the government with their 'creative' solutions and distorted priorities.

[NICKTHEGREEK]

Will the A.T. give us a way to get back on to the trail so Thuk-hikers will not get lost?
You gotta be kidding

[LostInSpace]

Just hiked by there yesterday late afternoon.
How ironic. You have to pay $15 to gain access to the Skyline Drive (it use to be free) and you have less services (they even removed the pay phones from the Loft Mt. CG areas).
Leave it up to the government with their 'creative' solutions and distorted priorities.

The NPS did not remove the pay phones. The pay phone service providers removed them because they were not profitable.