Linville Falls is reached on a short side road from the Blue Ridge Parkway. However, the road was closed by a gate 50 metres into the road. It was not apparent why, and I just parked my car before the gate and walked down the road which crosses the Linville River twice before ending at the visitor centre. There were quite a few people who made this walk on this day. (I later realised what was the cause to the road being closed: the shutdown of the US government.)