ASHEVILLE, N.C. — It’s National Park Week and one of the most visited national parks in the country is facing a problem – vandalism.

What You Need To Know

  • National Park Week runs through April 30
  • According to the National Park Service, nearly every day, park rangers find words or images drawn, painted or carved on the Blue Ridge Parkway
  • In the National Park Service, vandalism is a Class B misdemeanor with punishment up to a $5,000 fine and six months in jail

According to the National Park Service, nearly every day, park rangers find words or images drawn, painted or carved on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Park rangers and volunteers spend hours scrubbing signs, fences and rocks.

Asheville resident Xavier Maisonave visited the parkway by himself for the first time since moving here. 

“I decided to get in my car, fill it up with gas and come all the way up here,” Maisonave said. “I was more than amazed with what I found.”

He said he knows this won’t be his only trip, because the overlook feels like an escape.

“You really get to see how beautiful it is to actually be outside and forget your responsibilities in work or your personal life,” Maisonave said.

As he admired the mountains inside the national park, he began to notice traces left behind by those who came before him.

The Blue Ridge Parkway gets over 15 million visitors a year. But more people means more opportunities for people to leave things behind.

“I think that there’s a place for art, and even though landscapes like this could be inspirational, I don’t necessarily agree with painting on the walls,” Maisonave said.

In the National Park Service, vandalism is a Class B misdemeanor with punishment up to a $5,000 fine and six months in jail.

“You really can’t control what people want to do, but in a place like a national park, areas that we really cherish in our nation should really be protected,” Maisonave said. “I don’t think that having graffiti ... I don’t think this is really the place for it. I think there is a place for everything. Hey! Bring your canvas and draw on your canvas if you want to feel creative. Then take your canvas home, don’t litter!”

The National Park Service urges park visitors or neighbors who witness someone taking a sign or vandalizing park property to take down license plate information, leave the area and call 1-800-PARKWATCH to report the incident.