highwayy

Rockfish Gap, Virginia → Cherokee, North Carolina

Blue Ridge Parkway

Easy#5 in United States920 votes
Distance
755 km
Duration
3 Days
Best time
Apr – Jun, Oct
Highest point
1,918 m

Four hundred and sixty-nine miles of designed overlook. No trucks, a speed limit that is the point, and a ridge that does not hurry. America’s longest scenic road, on purpose.

Top highlights

  • High altitude1,918 m
  • Mabry MillThe mill pond. Go early or you will photograph other people photographing it.
  • Linn Cove ViaductThe road around Grandfather Mountain, not through it. Walk the trail under it.
  • Road qualityTwo-lane, well kept, closed in sections after ice and after slides. Fog on the balds. Autumn is traffic. The Parkway is not a shortcut — commercial vehicles are banned.
  • PermitsNational Park Service. Some campgrounds and the visitor centres take a fee. The road itself does not.
  • Best timeApr – Jun, Oct

Recommended itinerary

  1. Rockfish Gap, Virginia

    Start

  2. Mabry Mill

    284 km

  3. Linn Cove Viaduct

    488 km

  4. Waterrock Knob

    726 km

  5. Cherokee, North Carolina

    End · 755 km

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