Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway runs for 469 miles, about 755 kilometres, along the Blue Ridge and other ranges of the Appalachian Mountains. It starts at Rockfish Gap in Virginia, at the southern end of Shenandoah National Park, and ends near Cherokee, North Carolina, at the edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is a unit of the National Park System and one of the most visited sites managed by the National Park Service.

Construction began in 1935 as a public works project during the Great Depression, designed by the landscape architect Stanley Abbott to fit the road into the landscape. The final section, the Linn Cove Viaduct around Grandfather Mountain, was completed in 1987.

The road has no commercial traffic and no traffic lights, with a speed limit mostly of 45 miles per hour. Concrete mileposts mark its length. Overlooks give long views over ridges and valleys, and the route passes historic farms and mills, such as Mabry Mill in Virginia. In North Carolina, highlights include the Linn Cove Viaduct, the Blue Ridge Music Center, Craggy Gardens, Mount Mitchell State Park near the highest peak east of the Mississippi, and the city of Asheville. Hiking trails, campgrounds and picnic areas line the road.

There is no entrance fee. Sections can close in winter because of snow and ice, and facilities are seasonal. Autumn colours in October and rhododendron blooms in late spring and early summer are peak seasons.

Where should you stop along the parkway? Mileposts count from zero at Rockfish Gap to 469 near Cherokee, and every overlook and trailhead is listed by its milepost. Humpback Rocks, near the northern end, has a visitor centre and a short steep climb to a rock outcrop with wide views. Peaks of Otter, around milepost 86 in Virginia, has a lodge on a lake below Sharp Top. In North Carolina, the Folk Art Center near Asheville sells Appalachian crafts, and Mount Pisgah and the Graveyard Fields waterfalls lie south of the city.

The highest point on the road is the Richland Balsam overlook at 6,053 feet, about 1,845 metres, near milepost 431. Water Rock Knob and the last stretch towards Cherokee cross some of the highest country in the Appalachians.

Planning a drive. The National Park Service updates its road status and closures page every day, and it is the first place to check, since snow, rockfalls and repairs close sections at any time of year. Fuel is not sold on the parkway, so leave it at towns such as Roanoke, Boone, Blowing Rock or Asheville. Campgrounds and lodges are open mainly from May to October.