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Blue Ridge Parkway Scenic Drive

This Drive Comes From...

An image of the book: Scenic Highways and Byways

National Geographic's Guide to Scenic Highways and Byways

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Showcasing the age-old beauty of the southern Appalachians, the Blue Ridge Parkway is one of America’s most popular scenic drives. Connecting Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks, the two-lane drive rides the crest of the Blue Ridge and other ranges, occasionally dipping into hollows or climbing above timberline to heights over 6,000 feet [1,828.8 meters]. CONTINUED

(Continued From Top)

The road begins where Skyline Drive leaves off, at Rockfish Gap near Waynesboro. After a brief heavenward climb—perhaps the most dramatic stretch in Virginia—the road gracefully rises and falls along the narrow, forested spine of the Blue Ridge. The mountain drops off sharply on both sides, leaving the parkway to soar above foothills to the east and the Great Valley of Virginia, the Shenandoah, to the west.
Until the road was built in the 1930s, mountaineers, mostly of Scotch-Irish and German descent, led hardscrabble lives in these timbered hollows. Some of their restored rock-and-timber farm buildings can be visited at Humpback Rocks Pioneer Exhibit (Mile 5.8. +1 540 943 4716. May-Oct.).
Beyond, the forested parkway winds alongside spritely Dancing Creek, then Otter Creek. Otter Lake is one of the parkway’s man-made embellishments.
Midway to Roanoke, the road dips to its lowest elevation, 649 feet [197.8 meters], at the James River (Mile 65). The James River Visitor Center (Mile 63.6. +1 757 299 5496. May-Oct.) tells the story of this river, its 7-mile [11.3-kilometer] gorge through the Blue Ridge, and the adjacent Kanawha Canal, a Civil War supply route.
Winding sharply up to the crest line again—about 3,300 feet [1,005.8 meters] in 13 miles [20.9 kilometers]—the Blue Ridge Parkway reaches Apple Orchard Mountain, its highest point in Virginia (3,950 feet; 1,204 meters). Whipping winter winds twist the northern red oaks that predominate between here and the Arnold Valley Overlook into spindly shapes resembling apple trees.
At mile 85.6, the parkway reaches historic Peaks of Otter Lodge (+1 540 586 1081), surrounded by Sharp Top, Flat Top, and Harkening Hill—the three Peaks of Otter. A Visitor Center (Mile 86. +1 540 586 4357. Mid-April–Oct.,) has information on the area.
Enter ing the Roanoke River Basin, the parkway cruises for about 30 miles [48.3 kilometers] in the shadow of a discontinuous series of free-standing peaks. Then, south of Roanoke, the scenery turns exceedingly pastoral as the road climbs onto the Blue Ridge Plateau. Distant views alternate with closeups of small highland farms, where tobacco, hay, and vegetables grow in neat fields and Herefords graze behind split-rail fences.

At mile 176.2, Mabry Mill (+1 540 952 2947. May-Oct.) demonstrates the importance of self-sufficiency in this remote corner. Far from any towns, local farmers relied on the ingenuity of Ed Mabry, who built this gristmill, along with a sawmill and blacksmith shop, in the early 1900s.
To learn to identify the kinds of split-rail fences that divide the farmlands and edge the roadsides, stop at Groundhog Mountain (Mile 188.8), where an exhibit identifies snake rail, buck rail, and post-and-rail; a fire tower here yields sweeping views of the high country.
The road continues south, with the distinct outline of Pilot Mountain on the eastern horizon. At mile 216.9, it crosses the state line into North Carolina and the rolling plateau begins to build into the soaring mountains and deep valleys of Pisgah National Forest (+1 828 257 4200).
With its array of regional crafts, antiques, and homemade pastries, the Northwest Trading Post at mile 258.6 adds local color. Beyond, the solitary bulk of Mount Jefferson looms over the town of Jefferson as the road drops down into Deep Gap. This wild, rugged area was known only to the Cherokee and buffalo in the late 1700s when Daniel Boone, a nearby resident, forged a path through here to Kentucky. Look for Boone’s Trace at mile 285.1.
The road continues past Blowing Rock, a pleasant mountain resort, and Moses H. Cone Memorial Park (Mile 292-5. +1 828 295 7938. March-Jan.). Built as a mountain retreat by Cone, a textile magnate, the manor houses a Visitor Center and the Parkway Craft Center.
Just down the road hulks 5,964-foot [1,877.8-meter] Grandfather Mountain, highest mountain in the Blue Ridge and one of the oldest in the world. (Geologists say its quartzite is over a billion years old.) Head west 1 mile [1.6 kilometers] on U.S. 221, then take the 2-mile [3.2-kilometer] entrance road that twists up to a Visitor Center (800 468 7325). Here, you’ll find spectacular views and a pedestrian swing bridge crossing to Linville Peak.
Back on the parkway, the drive now encounters the “missing link,” the last 7.5-mile [2.3-kilometer] section of the road, completed in 1987. To preserve Grandfather Mountain’s fragile environment, 153 precast segments specifically fitting the contours of the mountain were used to build the S-shaped Linn Cove Viaduct, which snakes along the mountain’s rocky slopes. At the Linn Cove Parking Area (Mile 304.4. +1 828 733 1354), a trail leads to a view of the elevated roadway.
The terrain’s ruggedness persists at Linville Falls Recreation Area (Mile 316.5. Follow spur road 1.4 miles [2.3 kilometers] along Linville River. +1 828 765 1045. Mid-April–Oct.). Here, the river drops over rock ledges then flows between 2,000-foot-high [610-meter-high] walls—the deepest cleft this side of the Grand Canyon. The mile-long [1.6 kilometer-long] trail to the falls passes through one of the few remaining virgin stands of eastern hemlocks.
As you continue, the parkway enters the mining district of Spruce Pine, where 57 different types of minerals are found, including emeralds and rubies. To learn more, stop at the Museum of North Carolina Minerals (Mile 331. +1 828 765 2761. Open 7 days May-Oct., rest of year tentative; No adm. fee).
Farther south, the parkway explores beautiful forests. The big bold Black Mountains, named for the black-green Fraser fir and red spruce that carpet their slopes, rise darkly in the distance.
Beyond Crabtree Meadows Recreation Area (Mile 339.5. +1 828 675 4236. May-Oct.), the road begins its last climb on the Blue Ridge. Views widen of surrounding blue peaks and the vegetation changes from that of southern forests to northern spruces and firs.
After about 15 miles [24.1 kilometers], the highway leaves the Blue Ridge at Ridge Junction and begins its traverse across a jumble of colliding ranges. It briefly skirts the southern edge of the Black Mountains, then at Balsam Gap begins a tipsy ride across the Great Craggy Mountains. At Black Mountain Gap, a 5-mile [8-kilometer] detour on Rte. 128 climbs Mount Mitchell (Visitor Center +1 828 675 4611), at 6,684 feet [2,037.3 meters] the highest peak in the East. A short walk leads to the summit, where a sweater is needed for the Canadian-like climate (snow in July is not impossible).
Back on the parkway just past mile 361, look for views of Glassmine Falls tumbling down Horse Range Ridge, and of Graybeard Mountain, a prominent Blue Ridge peak that, if surrounded by clouds, indicates rain.
In mid-June, the slopes of Craggy Dome are carpeted with the red- purple blossoms of catawba rhododendron. The Craggy Gardens Visitor Center (Mile 364.6. May-Oct.) has exhibits on heath gardens.

Leaving the Great Craggies, the road begins its gradual descent into the French Broad River Valley and Asheville. The Folk Art Center (Mile 382. +1 828 298 7929) displays traditional Appalachian crafts—quilts, woven baskets, furniture—and sells them in the outlet run by the Southern Highlands Handicraft Guild. Here you can detour to the highlands city of Asheville and palatial Biltmore Estate (3.5 miles [5.6 kilometers] north of parkway on U.S. 25. +1 828 255 1700 or 800 543 2961. Adm. fee), a château built by George Vanderbilt at the turn of the century.
Crossing the French Broad River beyond Asheville, the tree-framed road plays hide-and-seek with a series of tunnels, climbing onto the rocky, rugged back of Pisgah Ledge. Soon you see Mount Pisgah looming to the right. When Vanderbilt came to the area in 1884, he became so enraptured with Mount Pisgah that he bought it. His lands became the nucleus of Pisgah National Forest and site of the first U.S. Forestry School. The Pisgah Inn (Mile 408.6. +1 828 235 8228. April-Oct.) has a panoramic mile-high view of this rugged land.
At Tanassee Bald the parkway swings northwest along the Great Balsams, sharply climbing and dropping on a constantly winding road. Intermingled with dense forests are increasingly breathtaking panoramas of bold mountain peaks: Cold Mountain, Looking Glass Rock, and Devil’s Courthouse, which the Cherokees believed to be the dancing chamber of their devil. The parkway reaches its highest point (6,047 feet; 1,843.1 meters) at Richland Balsam (Mile 431). Below, the ranges of the southern Appalachians ripple to the horizon. For its last 10 miles, the parkway passes through these beautiful ranges, once home to the Cherokee Nation and now part of the Cherokee Indian Reservation.
The parkway ends in a pastoral valley on the Ocon aluftee River. To the right, on U.S. 441, lies Great Smoky Mountains National Park (see Newfound Gap Road). To the left is Cherokee and the Museum of the Cherokee Indian (U.S. 441N and Drama Rd. +1 828 497 3481. $6 adult, $4 child).