Wondering about all the activity going on at Linville Falls? Thanks to the generosity of community stewards, the Upper Falls Overlook at Linville Falls (milepost 316.4 Blue Ridge Parkway) will welcome more visitors with a larger viewing area, taking them closer to a geological gem, the Linville Falls Thrust Line. A new boardwalk and railing tied together with rock-clad columns create the enlarged vista point.

With the expansion come educational opportunities for students, geologists, and the public to see this section of rock that jutted up and over the younger Grandfather Fault Line more than a billion years ago. Until now, scientists and students needed special permission to visit the fault line.

Carolyn Sparks, a maintenance mechanical supervisor with the National Park Service, is heading up the project slated for completion in late September. Interpretive signage is in the works to explain the significance of the geological feature. Sparks hopes the visitors enjoy learning about and seeing the thrust fault. “It will be a great highlight of the geology of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. It will be one of the few places the public can view the structure. That’s what makes it so unique.”

Cite Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation…