Blue Ridge Parkway: 18 Things to do on the Road Trip

The Blue Ridge Parkway runs through North Carolina and Virginia on its 469-mile route, connecting Shenandoah National Park with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and is one of the most relaxing

road

trip

s you can take in the United States. I drove the route with my dad. For four days and we compiled some of our favorite stops to share with you in this video. If you want to watch the full ride, you can click the link in the description of the one and a half hour video. Let's look at some of our favorites. stops at

blue

ridge

parkway

my first recommendation is humpback rocks by far one of my favorite experiences on

blue

ridge

parkway

was the humpback rocks hike to watch the sunset.

This hike is difficult with a steep hill the entire way, you are definitely rewarded as you get to the top because there is a collection of rocks sticking out of the hillside and you can climb them and find a great seat to watch the sunset. There will be a lot of other people up here with you, but it's easy to spread out and the views. They are just amazing in every direction, the highlight of the experience for me was the fireflies we saw on the way down. It was only the third time I had seen fireflies in my life and it was great to see them lighting up the night sky. on our walk back to the car completing this amazing sunset hike on our last day on the Blue Ridge Parkway, it was one of my favorite

things

we did.

Our next recommendation is to notice the tunnels on the Parkway. There are 26 tunnels along the Blue Ridge Parkway. And interestingly, 25 of them are in North Carolina and only one is in Virginia. These tunnels represent more than one-third of all tunnels in the National Park Service inventory. When you drive, you suddenly come across them and it's always fun to find them. The longest is the 1,434-foot Pine Mountain Tunnel and is at mile marker 399.1. The tunnels really demonstrate the difficulty of making this beautiful route possible. My next recommendation is that all the overlooks are everywhere on the Blue Ridge Parkway and I'm sure not the exact number, but most places say it's over 200.

It's easy to get exhausted at the overlooks as many of them have Very similar sights, but you'll definitely want to stop at dozens of them on your way. My dad and I just slowed down. We went down near most of them to see what the view was like and then went out if we saw something special. It's really great to have so many of them along the

road

as it's easy to pull out to allow faster drivers to pass and there are so many. great opportunities to simply enjoy the views our next recommendation is the Steep Pinnacle The Steep Pinnacle is one of the most beautiful viewpoints on the entire route, the summit elevates you above the trees for an incredible 360 ​​degree view Relax on the short rock wall and just take in the scenery, but I actually love the beautiful hike itself.

Beautiful trees, rhododendrons and rocks take you to the epic summit. The entire hike is about a mile and a quarter round

trip

and is not difficult. Next up is the Lincoln Viaduct. It is probably the most iconic view on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This 12,043-foot concrete bridge was the last portion of the highway to be completed in 1983, officially completing the Blue Ridge Parkway. You can drive across the bridge or leave earlier or later to get something. Good views One of the best views requires you to walk to a viewpoint that looks back at this impressive bridge from above.

I love bridges so this was easily a highlight for me. Our next recommendation is the Blue Ridge Music Center when visiting this area. of the world, how can you not stop and learn more about their musical traditions, particularly bluegrass music? The museum is fascinating for the way it traces the roots of this musical tradition, including the origins of the banjo in Africa. There are also regular concerts that start at noon. days and local musicians come and give free concerts, provide information about local artists and you can even play with them if you want. This place is especially unique because it is the only one like this on the entire avenue.

My next recommendation is natural. bridge, while the natural bridge is about 20 minutes up the avenue, you won't want to miss it. This massive stone bridge is 215 feet high and 90 feet wide. It is impressive to see as you walk along the stream that runs under the bridge. This area is national. historic landmark and was once explored by george washington, who left his initials in the rock at the base of the bridge. You can explore more of the area on a two mile trail that takes you to a recreation of a Native American village and a small waterfall.

It is a beautiful area to explore and well worth the excursion off the parkway. Our next suggestion is the birthplace of Forestry The Pisgah National Forest is the birthplace of modern forestry in the United States. The site was developed to support forestry and especially the efforts of the US Forest Service. Although I found it interesting, it is particularly aimed at families and children, they really provide a great introduction to forest management and protection and, as their website says, when you discover, you connect, when you connect, you care, and when you care, you protect after that. For me, we have Crabtree Falls.

Crabtree Falls was the best waterfall on the Blue Ridge Parkway, that says a lot as there are so many great waterfalls, but there is something special about the way the water falls here to the small pool below the waterfall, which you can access through a 2.5 mile trail that is all downhill due to the weight of the waterfall and all uphill on the way out. The waterfall is 60 feet high but wide and falls beautifully over the rocks. There is a well-placed bench here where you can sit on a bridge. that crosses the stream and just absorbs everything.

There are plenty of great waterfalls on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but this one is pretty hard to beat. Our next recommendation is to stop at the famous historical sites. There are many historic sites along the avenue looking Blue Ridge Parkway. The historical sites will take you to a list of them, but two examples are, firstly, the mountain farm historical museum, which was particularly interesting. Seeing places like this will give you an idea of ​​how difficult it was to make a living as a new settler. The site was the pocket cabin where Orleans Hawks Puckett lived. She was a famous midwife in the region, delivering approximately a thousand babies once again.

These are just a couple of examples of the many historic sites you can see along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Next we have Mount Mitchell. Mount Mitchell is the tallest mountain east of Mississippi, standing at 6,684 feet, it's located right off the parkway and you can basically drive to the top of the mountain once you get to the parking area, just one step away. third of a mile to the top when you get there, you can take a photo with a summit marker or the sign designating it as the tallest mountain east of Mississippi, although it's not much work to get there, it's a great stop on a road trip with amazing views in every direction.

I love visiting the high points of the state and it was fun to visit North Carolina too. Along the way, next up is Looking Glass Falls, one of the most popular waterfalls in North Carolina. Looking Glass Falls has an easily accessible overlook for people with mobility issues but with a great reward, the ease of access resulted in a lot of people there on a hot summer day, apparently the name comes from the appearance of the rock like a mirror when the water freezes in the winter, when we visited the water flow apparently went down a bit, but it was still beautiful.

My next recommendation is the James River Bridge and Canal Locks Trail. The James River is actually the lowest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway at just 650 feet above sea level. The river was originally an important route through the mountains and you can learn more about this at the visitor center or on the few short trails we did, the canal locks trail, which took you to a series of mid-century locks. from the 19th century that helped ships access the river. It is fascinating to see the preserved history of these. locks and at one point there were more than 80 along the river.

The walk to the locks is also incredible as they built a pedestrian walkway on the bridge under the road and offers stunning views of the James River as you cross it. Next suggestion is Peaks of Otter Peaks of Otter is a beautiful spot on Lake Abbott with sharp, flat mountains in the background. It has actually been a tourist destination since the 1830s, but no one is really sure where the area's name comes from. You can take a challenging trail to the top of Sharp Top or a bus from the lodge to the top. There is also an easy walk around the beautiful lake and if you stay at the lodge you will enjoy amazing sunsets.

Next up is Mayberry. Mill Mayberry Mill competes with the Linnco Viaduct as the avenue's most iconic sight. The impressive windmill is seen in many different park brochures and is amazing to see in real life. The mill was built between 1905 and 1914 and had everything from a sawmill to a grist mill over the years, if you go during the summer there is often a guide who can show you how the mill works which is fascinating. The surrounding area has many historic structures that were built or moved here to show what life would be like in the area. If you like the history of the area, this is one of the best ways to experience it and if you're a photographer, you won't want to miss the stunning views of the mill reflecting in the water.

Our next recommendation. es linville falls linville gorge has been described as the grand canyon of the eastern united states and linville falls drops 90 feet into the gorge and is one of the most impressive and photographed waterfalls along the blue ridge parkway from the visitor center you can take the 1.6 mile round trip hike to all four overlooks, the first is just a half mile each way, definitely worth the stop and has been voted one of the best waterfalls on the Blue Ridge Parkway. My last recommendation is Cascade Falls. Waterfalls are often overlooked. some of the most impressive waterfalls on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but worth the stop.

The hike through the woods at eb jeffrey state park is relaxing with a small stream running along the trail and plenty of shade at the end there is a set of stairs. which take you to the falls viewpoint and the waterfall here is much more impressive than you would expect. The photos really don't do it justice, as the waterfall flows over 90 feet into the stream below. There are two viewing points for See It From and as you get closer you can see how far it actually goes. It's a great stop to stretch your legs and take a more relaxing hike on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Our next recommendation is Chimney Rock in the fireplace. Rock State Park, although it's about 45 minutes off the road, Chimney Rock is an incredible geological wonder, the story of how it was preserved and ultimately a really interesting state park to read. There is a trail and, thank goodness, a lift that allows you to get to the top, where you can take a bridge to walk directly over the rock, from there you will have beautiful views of the surrounding 10 mile gorge, as well as exit onto the rock of the chimney, there are several other overlooks where you can photograph the rock with the scenic backdrop there is also an approximately two mile round trip trail that takes you to one of the tallest waterfalls in the state so those are some favorite stops of my dad and me on blue ridge parkway. be sure to look for a full video at Our full four-day road trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway will be out in the coming weeks.

Let us know what your favorite place on the avenue is in the comments and we'll see you in the next video.