Peaks of Otter Campground: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Blue Ridge Parkway – Ridge District, National Park Service
UGA-CED Cultural Landscape Laboratory and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.. 2014. Peaks of Otter Campground: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Blue Ridge Parkway – Ridge District, National Park Service. Cultural Landscapes Inventory Report. 550213. NPS Southeast Regional Office. Southeast Regional Office/CLI Database
The Peaks of Otter Campground component landscape, one of eight component landscapes within the Peaks of Otter developed area, is located along State Route 43 east of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the state of Virginia. While construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway through the Peaks of Otter area began in 1939, the campground was constructed between 1955 and 1964. The Campground component landscape resides in a generally wooded and shady area as part of a succession Eastern deciduous hardwood forest. It is accessed via a single entry road with adjacent features like a manned check-in booth (entrance station), an informational kiosk, and a screened dumpster area. This primary road splits into three camping loops: one for tent camping (56 sites), one for trailer camping (77 sites) and one with combined tent and trailer camping (44 sites). Minimally graded to accommodate curvilinear road corridors that fit the topography, the camping loops collectively offer 140 parking areas for campers and tent sites that each has a grill, picnic table, and lantern hanger. The campground also includes several historic comfort stations that reflect the evolution of park architecture, specifically Mission 66 era development. This component landscape is significant under Criteria A, C, and potentially D, contributing to the period of significance identified for the parent landscape—Peaks of Otter developed area 1939–1965. That period encompasses initial parkway construction through completion of proposed developments consistent with early master plans for the site. Parkway design principles are conveyed throughout the developed area, including the campground, tying it to the broader 469-mile linear historic landscape. In addition, Peaks of Otter affords several of the key components that early designers considered important for motorists to experience when traveling the corridor, including opportunities for visitors to connect more deeply with the region through recreation and education, and to avail themselves of food, lodging, and other amenities.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- UGA-CED Cultural Landscape Laboratory; Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.
- Date of Issue
- 2014-03-24
- Publisher
- NPS Southeast Regional Office
- Units
- BLRI , SER
- Keywords
- Automobile Travel, Blue Ridge Parkway, Campground, Comfort Stations, Cultural Landscape, Designed Landscape, Historic Landscape, Mission 66, National Park Architecture, Peaks of Otter, Peaks of Otter Campground, Recreation, Tent Camping, Trailer Camping, Virginia
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Human Use | Visitor and Recreation Use | Visitor Use , Ecological Framework: Human Use | Cultural Landscapes | Cultural Landscapes