The Blue Ridge Parkway, end to end

Route description

The parkway begins near Waynesboro at Rockfish Gap, where Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park ends. Near milepost 6, Humpback Rocks has a reconstructed mountain farm at the trailhead and a steep one-mile climb to a rocky outcrop. A short detour off the parkway leads to Natural Bridge State Park, a 215-foot limestone arch over Cedar Creek that Thomas Jefferson once owned.

The parkway skirts Roanoke, the largest city on the route and a good place to restock and refuel. South of it the road rolls through farmland and forest to Mabry Mill at milepost 176, a water-powered gristmill whose neighboring restaurant serves buckwheat pancakes. Soon after, the parkway crosses into North Carolina, and the mountains begin to grow higher.

The Linn Cove Viaduct curves around the flank of Grandfather Mountain; finished in 1987, it was the last piece of the parkway to be built. Julian Price Park Campground near milepost 297 has lakeside sites, canoe rentals and trails through rhododendron. Further south, Asheville is home to the Biltmore Estate, America’s largest private home, and Chimney Rock State Park lies a short drive southeast with long views over Lake Lure.

South of Asheville the parkway climbs to its highest sections before ending at Cherokee, on the edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Clingmans Dome, now officially called Kuwohi, is the highest point in the Smokies, reached by a seasonal side road and a steep paved path to a spiral observation ramp. The speed limit is 45 mph at most, there is no fuel on the parkway itself, several North Carolina tunnels have limited clearance for tall motorhomes, and sections close in winter and after storm damage, so check the National Park Service closure map before you go.