Blue Ridge Parkway - Skyline Drive

Blue Ridge Parkway Traversing the Appalachians

We travel one of the most beautiful roads in the United States. A road to enjoy with tranquility while admiring the landscapes that it offers us. We are going to travel the Blue Ridge Parkway, but starting with another parkway. It is the Skyline Dr. After to finish touring Skyline Dr, we join the Blue Ridge Parkway until we reach the Smoky Mountains National Park

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Blue ridge parkway map: Traversing the Appalachians We travel one of the most beautiful roads in the United States. A road to enjoy with tranquility while admiring the landscapes that it offers us. We are going to travel the Blue Ridge Parkway, — Blue ridge parkway

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Discovering Skyline Drive

It is highly recommended to visit Skyline Drive. The northernmost part of the "Ridge" meets this path of about 160 km (which then continues northeast) but here it surrounds the Rockfish Gap.

Driving on this road is slow in itself (the maximum speed allowed is approximately 35 miles per hour) which forces one to enjoy the beautiful landscape that it crosses. This is especially in Autumn, with its dazzling colors.

Blue ridge parkway map and Skyline Drive Photo NPC PKw — Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive Photos Instagram NPS PKW

Shenadonah Valley

This highway is 510 miles long and crosses the southern Appalachian Mountains. It also links two national parks: Shenandoah in Virginia and the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina.Its construction began in 1935 and it was a great project of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This work helped to stimulate the economy and employment in this area of the country, due to the Great Depression. It took more than 50 years to complete the work, the road being completed in 1987.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Shows the traditions and customs of the place in a place full of wildlife, fauna and flora. It is managed by the United States National Park Service and has millions of visits each year.It is a road designed to travel quietly, do one of its many trails on foot and stop at each of its viewpoints. In short, it is a place to travel for several days among the fog that surrounds its mountains. These are some of the most interesting places on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Animals - Architecture - Flowers - Food & Beverages - Places

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Charlottesville: Starting Point for the Blue Ridge Parkway

The usual thing is to start the route in Virginia, although it can also be done in the opposite direction. It is a great option to take Charlottesville as your starting city and discover its attractions. You can visit some of its wineries, stroll downtown, or discover Monticello, the residence of President Thomas Jefferson.

The Humpback Rocks Visitor Center is the first stop on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is 30 miles from Charlottesville. In this space you can see different exhibits on life in the mountains and see examples of Appalachian farms from the 19th century.
One of the hiking trails you can do in this area climbs to the top of Humpback Rocks. From there you can contemplate a panoramic view of the Shenandoah Valley. An amazing landscape

In this first section is one of the few accommodations that is open all year round, called Peats of Otter. It is located next to a beautiful lake where you can fish. Depending on the time of year, it is also possible to camp.

City of Roanoke

To visit this city, like any other on the route, you have to leave the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is worth driving through the Roanoke Mountains and observing the Virginia landscape. In addition, this city has an old railway, various museums and places to try local cuisine.

Blue Ridge Parkway 2022 — Blue Ridge Parkway

Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah National Park surrounds Skyline Drive and has excellent hiking trails. Some of them include climbing to the summits of hills from which you have spectacular views. In the park there are places to camp and also very nice cabins to spend the night.

Nearby attractions include the vivid mountain town of Staunton with its Shakespearean theater, farm-to-table restaurants and an elaborate cave system known as Luray Caverns. An additional fact is that to enter Skyline Dr you have to pay $ 10 for a seven-day pass (15, in the summer) which is not a toll but an admission charge to enter the national park. On weekends the traffic is heavy.

Mabry Mill

Returning to the Blue Ridge Parkway, you arrive at one of the most beautiful surroundings of the entire highway, Mabry Mill. It is one of the most photographed places in the country, and it is no wonder. We find an old flour mill that still works with hydroelectric power. The mill is surrounded by a beautiful pond that creates a picturesque and bucolic image.

Old workshops, such as the carpentry or the sawmill, are also preserved next to the mill.A little further on is the Blue Ridge Music Center, where you can listen to classic local music with banjos and violins. There are many performances that are held in its auditorium in the season that runs from May to October.

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Blue Ridge Parkway 2021: Traversing the Appalachians — Bears: Blue Ridge Parkway: Traversing the Appalachians

Blue Ridge Parkway 2021: Traversing the Appalachians - Landscape — Blue Ridge Parkway : Traversing the Appalachians - Landscape

Blue Ridge Parkway 2021: Traversing the Appalachians - Forest — Blue Ridge Parkway : Traversing the Appalachians - Forest

At what time should you go to Blue Ridge Parkway

It must be taken into account that the climate can vary a lot according to the height at which one is. While the tops of the mountains remain snowy in winter, the valleys are usually very pleasant.
The Visitor Centers are open from April to October. May is the best month to see wildflowers everywhere. Most of the people come for the fall of the leaves and the change of colors of the landscape in autumn. Spring and autumn are good times for bird watching with more than 160 species identified along the route. In the summer and fall, the park is packed with people.

Hiking on Blue Ridge Parkway

There are more than 369 miles of hiking trails along the Blue Ridge Parkway. these are our recommendations:

Plan first.
Decide what you would like to see first
Plan how far you would like to walk.
If you haven't done a lot of hikes recently, be conservative. Five miles round trip is a good maximum distance for beginners

Hiking Blue Ridge Parkway Popular Trips

Get informed. Trail conditions can change suddenly and unexpectedly. Bear activity, severe storms, and downed trees can temporarily close trails.

When hiking: Keep in mind that sunset time varies from just after 5:00 p.m. in December until almost 9:00 p.m. in June. Permission is not required for hiking. Bring water, a raincoat or poncho, and a first aid kit. Walk with another person. Make sure you have plenty of time to complete your hike before dark. As a general rule of thumb, allow an hour to walk 1.5 miles. Be aware that many people travel slower. You must walk at the pace of the slowest person,

The links below provide short descriptions and maps of popular trails. Trails listed by mileage are available for Virginia and North Carolina. Or stop at a visitor center for recommendations.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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From back country trails and camping, to favorite picnic areas and full service concession operations, the parkway offers visitors a wealth of opportunities to experience the scenic beauty and natural and cultural heritage of the southern Appalachian region.

Operating schedules are subject to change in support of federal, state, and local efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. More Info...(National Park Service)

Facility operating schedules are also subject to change due to adverse weather conditions and other uncontrollable factors. Real-time road information is available at www.nps.gov/maps/blri/road-closures, All the information in the following tables is from the Blue Ridge Parkway - NPS

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Blue Ridge Parkway – Skyline Drive