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Blue Ridge Parkway tunnels facts for kids

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Blue Ridge Parkway tunnels
Bluff Mountain Tunnel
Overview
Location Blue Ridge Parkway
Route Blue Ridge Parkway
Operation
Work begun 1930s
Technical
Construction stone and concrete

The Blue Ridge Parkway tunnels are a cool part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This famous road is about 469 miles (755 km) long. Along this route, you'll find 26 special vehicle tunnels. One tunnel is in Virginia, and the other 25 are in North Carolina.

These tunnels were built to protect the beautiful landscape. Instead of cutting huge open paths through the mountains, tunnels were dug. This helped keep the natural look of the steep hillsides.

Most of the tunnels are in North Carolina. This is because its mountains are more rugged. A lot of the tunnel digging was done by hand. This work was done by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. These were young people who needed jobs during tough economic times. Not many machines were used back then. But they did use special truck-mounted drills called "Jumbos." After drilling holes, they used dynamite to blast away the rock.

Sometimes, concrete lining was added inside the tunnels. This happened during construction to stop cave-ins. The first time this was done was in the Devil's Courthouse Tunnel. Workers later found that the concrete also made the tunnels brighter inside. It covered about a quarter of the tunnel's inner walls. An extra benefit was that it stopped water from getting in. Water could cause dangerous ice problems in winter.

The Pine Mountain Tunnel is the longest on the Parkway. It is about 1,434 feet (437 meters) long. You'll also find the "triplet tunnels." These are three tunnels close together. Ferrin Knob Tunnel #1 is the first and longest of these. The local people used to call ferns "ferrins." Ferrin Knob Tunnel #2 is at milepost 401.3. Ferrin Knob Tunnel #3 is just a bit further at milepost 401.5.

The cool stone entrances you see on the tunnels today were not built at first. They were added later on.

Tunnels Along the Parkway

Here is a list of the tunnels. They are ordered by their milepost number. You can also see their name and how long they are. The maximum height is in the middle of the tunnel. The minimum height is at the edge of the road.

Milepost Name of the tunnel Length Maximum Height Minimum Height Coordinates
53.1 Bluff Mountain Tunnel 630 feet (192 m) 19 feet 1 inch (5.8 m) 13 feet 7 inches (4.1 m) 37°39′55″N 79°19′22″W / 37.66538°N 79.322866°W / 37.66538; -79.322866 (Bluff Mountain Tunnel)
333.4 Little Switzerland Tunnel 547 feet (167 m) 19 feet 8 inches (6.0 m) 14 feet 4 inches (4.4 m) 35°51′06″N 82°05′09″W / 35.851638°N 82.085917°W / 35.851638; -82.085917 (Little Switzerland Tunnel)
336.4 Wildacres Tunnel 240 feet (73 m) 19 feet 10 inches (6.0 m) 13 feet 1 inch (4.0 m) 35°49′47″N 82°07′05″W / 35.829603°N 82.117972°W / 35.829603; -82.117972 (Wildacres Tunnel)
344.6 Twin Tunnel (North) 240 feet (73 m) 21 feet (6.4 m) 16 feet (4.9 m) 35°45′49″N 82°10′09″W / 35.763598°N 82.169124°W / 35.763598; -82.169124 (Twin Tunnel (North))
344.7 Twin Tunnel (South) 409 feet (125 m) 19 feet 7 inches (6.0 m) 14 feet 7 inches (4.4 m) 35°45′43″N 82°10′12″W / 35.761875°N 82.170027°W / 35.761875; -82.170027 (Twin Tunnel (South))
349.0 Rough Ridge Tunnel 245 feet (75 m) 21 feet 6 inches (6.6 m) 13 feet 9 inches (4.2 m) 35°43′37″N 82°12′25″W / 35.726871°N 82.207028°W / 35.726871; -82.207028 (Rough Ridge Tunnel)
364.4 Craggy Pinnacle Tunnel 176 feet (54 m) 19 feet 9 inches (6.0 m) 14 feet 1 inch (4.3 m) 35°42′04″N 82°22′37″W / 35.701204°N 82.376888°W / 35.701204; -82.376888 (Craggy Pinnacle Tunnel)
365.6 Craggy Flats Tunnel 335 feet (102 m) 19 feet 5 inches (5.9 m) 14 feet 1 inch (4.3 m) 35°41′14″N 82°23′01″W / 35.687289°N 82.383519°W / 35.687289; -82.383519 (Craggy Flats Tunnel)
374.4 Tanbark Ridge Tunnel 746 feet (227 m) 19 feet 5 inches (5.9 m) 14 feet 1 inch (4.3 m) 35°39′51″N 82°27′41″W / 35.664224°N 82.461434°W / 35.664224; -82.461434 (Tanbark Ridge Tunnel)
397.1 Grassy Knob Tunnel 600 feet (183 m) 19 feet 2 inches (5.8 m) 13 feet 7 inches (4.1 m) 35°28′09″N 82°37′20″W / 35.469254°N 82.622304°W / 35.469254; -82.622304 (Grassy Knob Tunnel)
399.3 Pine Mountain Tunnel 1,320 feet (402 m) 19 feet 3 inches (5.9 m) 14 feet 2 inches (4.3 m) 35°26′57″N 82°38′38″W / 35.449040°N 82.643771°W / 35.449040; -82.643771 (Pine Mountain Tunnel)
400.9 Ferrin Knob Tunnel #1 360 feet (110 m) 19 feet 6 inches (5.9 m) 14 feet 2 inches (4.3 m) 35°27′22″N 82°40′01″W / 35.456014°N 82.666996°W / 35.456014; -82.666996 (Ferrin Knob Tunnel #1)
401.3 Ferrin Knob Tunnel #2 231 feet (70 m) 19 feet 2 inches (5.8 m) 14 feet (4.3 m) 35°27′18″N 82°40′27″W / 35.455056°N 82.674271°W / 35.455056; -82.674271 (Ferrin Knob Tunnel #2)
401.5 Ferrin Knob Tunnel #3 323 feet (98 m) 19 feet 5 inches (5.9 m) 13 feet 9 inches (4.2 m) 35°27′15″N 82°40′34″W / 35.454157°N 82.676163°W / 35.454157; -82.676163 (Ferrin Knob Tunnel #3)
403.0 Young Pisgah Ridge Tunnel 400 feet (122 m) 19 feet 8 inches (6.0 m) 14 feet 6 inches (4.4 m) 35°27′16″N 82°42′03″W / 35.454444°N 82.700881°W / 35.454444; -82.700881 (Young Pisgah Ridge Tunnel)
403.9 Fork Mountain Tunnel 350 feet (107 m) 19 feet 2 inches (5.8 m) 14 feet 6 inches (4.4 m) 35°27′01″N 82°42′55″W / 35.450169°N 82.715308°W / 35.450169; -82.715308 (Fork Mountain Tunnel)
406.9 Little Pisgah Tunnel 500 feet (152 m) 19 feet 5 inches (5.9 m) 13 feet 10 inches (4.2 m) 35°25′18″N 82°44′33″W / 35.421636°N 82.742592°W / 35.421636; -82.742592 (Little Pisgah Tunnel)
407.4 Buck Springs Tunnel 380 feet (116 m) 19 feet 2 inches (5.8 m) 13 feet 8 inches (4.2 m) 35°25′04″N 82°44′52″W / 35.417720°N 82.747806°W / 35.417720; -82.747806 (Buck Springs Tunnel)
410.1 Frying Pan Tunnel 275 feet (84 m) 19 feet 9 inches (6.0 m) 13 feet 8 inches (4.2 m) 35°23′28″N 82°46′26″W / 35.390981°N 82.773952°W / 35.390981; -82.773952 (Frying Pan Tunnel)
422.1 Devil's Courthouse Tunnel 350 feet (107 m) 19 feet (5.8 m) 14 feet 2 inches (4.3 m) 35°18′19″N 82°53′43″W / 35.305332°N 82.895343°W / 35.305332; -82.895343 (Devil's Courthouse Tunnel)
439.7 Pinnacle Ridge 750 feet (229 m) 19 feet 1 inch (5.8 m) 13 feet 10 inches (4.2 m) 35°26′06″N 83°02′02″W / 35.434901°N 83.033833°W / 35.434901; -83.033833 (Pinnacle Ridge)
458.8 Lickstone Ridge Tunnel 402 feet (123 m) 13 feet 1 inch (4.0 m) 11 feet 1 inch (3.4 m) 35°30′28″N 83°11′16″W / 35.507822°N 83.187861°W / 35.507822; -83.187861 (Lickstone Ridge Tunnel)
459.3 Bunches Bald Tunnel 268 feet (82 m) 13 feet 4 inches (4.1 m) 10 feet 6 inches (3.2 m) 35°30′52″N 83°11′35″W / 35.514440°N 83.193087°W / 35.514440; -83.193087 (Bunches Bald Tunnel)
461.2 Big Witch Tunnel 348 feet (106 m) 18 feet 1 inch (5.5 m) 11 feet 3 inches (3.4 m) 35°31′04″N 83°12′56″W / 35.5178885°N 83.2155379°W / 35.5178885; -83.2155379 (Big Witch Tunnel)
465.6 Rattlesnake Mountain Tunnel 410 feet (125 m) 19 feet 6 inches (5.9 m) 14 feet 5 inches (4.4 m) 35°31′07″N 83°16′11″W / 35.518671°N 83.269625°W / 35.518671; -83.269625 (Rattlesnake Mountain Tunnel)
466.3 Sherril Cove Tunnel 572 feet (174 m) 19 feet 7 inches (6.0 m) 14 feet 4 inches (4.4 m) 35°30′42″N 83°16′18″W / 35.511708°N 83.271575°W / 35.511708; -83.271575 (Sherril Cove Tunnel)

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