Ken Burns and the Blue Ridge Parkway

According to an email from the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, documentary film maker Ken Burns has completed a new film, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea. UNC-TV will air the six-episode, 12-hour work in its entirety in the fall.

This spectacular series was filmed over the course of more than six years at some of nature's most spectacular locales, including North Carolina's own Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The documentary is a story of people and a story full of struggle and conflict, high ideals and crass opportunism, stirring adventure and enduring inspiration - set against the most breathtaking backdrops imaginable.