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Superintendent Cassius Cash (from left) and Coach Bob Marr at the new parking area at Deep Creek, will open over Memorial Day weekend.
Larry Griffin
lgriffin@thesmokymountaintimes.com
National Park Service (NPS) Superintendent Cassius Cash got the idea for a new parking lot to help expand parking in the Deep Creek area from Coach Bob Marr.
The NPS has been cracking down on people parking on the grass in the area, since the parking lots can get quite full – a problem which will only increase as the weather gets hotter and more tourists arrive.
Marr proposed that the NPS reuse a long-closed lot at the northeast end of the Deep Creek Falls and Trail parking lot near the vehicle turnaround. It used to be the main parking lot for Deep Creek until the early 2000s, but it was closed off as more visitors came and space was needed back then. Now, ironically, it will be used again for the same reason.
“He’s not just another pretty face,” Cash said of Marr. “He comes up with some ideas now and then.”
The NPS will reopen that lot on Memorial Day weekend, after adding in new gravel and some rocks to block cars from falling into the creek over the last few weeks.
“The area was not being used,” Cash said. “It was just a big pile of gravel. The coach said that could be a good parking spot.”
Cash previously met with Marr along with former U.S. Rep. and NFL quarterback Heath Shuler to hash out the idea and ended up liking it enough to move forward.
Marr was matter-of-fact about it: “Lots of people are ready to bring out a problem, but not so many of them bring a solution.”
The problem was that people were parking too much on the grass by the Deep Creek pavilion and on the roadside where people drive in and out, which was causing problems. The NPS put up wooden posts to signal people not to park on the roadside anymore.
But with the summer imminent, the peak time for vacationers to come and flood the area, there was a need for more parking, so people could enjoy the park safely, Cash said.
Marr said his motives were to help keep the land beautiful and free from damage from vehicles parking where they shouldn’t be.
They also spoke about the current state of the Park It Forward parking pass program, which has garnered almost $3 million since its beginning in March. Cash said the money would go towards various improvements for the parks, including more staff, trail improvements, custodial services and trash removal.
Cash said he was committed to helping make the parks as good and accessible as they could be for everyone.
“In this business, my word is my bond,” he said. “That’s how I started my federal career, and it still has a place in how we do business here.”