Is It Worth Driving the Whole Blue Ridge Parkway

Last updated on April 30th, 2022 at 11:56 pm

If I were to introduce Blue Ridge Parkway in a talk show it would go something like this –

"Built to uplift the US economy after the Great Depression. This is America's longest scenic highway, the most visited National Park Site in the US and not to mention one of the most famous drives in the country. Please welcome on stage – The Blue Ridge Parkway!"

What is the Blue Ridge Parkway?

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469 miles long byway that connects Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina.The path of Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) was carefully carved to cut through the spine of Blue Ridge of the Appalachian Mountains.

In perspective, 469 miles is almost like driving from NYC to Toronto!

After doing the incredible SF to LA road trip and plenty of other road trips in the US, I must tell you guys – this is the one to add to your US bucket list especially in the fall season. I am so glad I took the leap and finally drove the entire stretch with my parents who were visiting from India and had never seen fall colors before.

Related Read: Best places to see fall colors in New England

How many days do you need to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway?

Before we get into the number of days, you must know that it covers two states, Virginia and North Carolina. It is not a short drive, pretty yes.

Ideally, anywhere between 3 to 7 days should be enough depending on how many stops you take.

Slow travel isn't always our best friend. So in this post, we will give you an itinerary for driving the Parkway in 3 days (one way) based on our personal experience. Keep the 4^th day for your return trip! If you are traveling with kids you might want to take more than 3 days.

If you want a deeper experience in the cities and towns on the way then add additional time to your itinerary.

What is the best time to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway?

In my opinion, fall is the best time to do this road trip! Don't forget to read our pro-tips at the end of this blogpost on fall travels in BRP. Having said that, autumn is also the most visited time of the year thanks to the exuberant fall foliage here so mind the traffic.

Spring would be the next best time of the year. If you are driving this stretch in summer then there are plenty of waterfalls and swim holes to explore on the North Carolina side of Blue Ridge Parkway. But during winter seasons there are road closures in the North Carolina side of the parkway due to inclement weather.

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Blue Ridge Parkway Road Trip Itinerary and Attractions

This itinerary is based on our 3 days of driving the entire Blue Ridge Parkway from its Virginia end to North Carolina tail end. We also drove half of the Skyline drive in Shenandoah National Park on our day 1 and used our day 4 to drive through the Smoky Mountain National Park.  Without further adieu, here's our day by day itinerary.

You can find a map of Blue Ridge Parkway and more details on the National Parks website.

Day 1: Start your road trip

For those flying in, airports in Washington DC or Charlottesville, VA is your best bet on the Virginia side of the parkway. On the North Carolina side, you should consider Charlotte, NC or Atlanta, GA airports. It will be practical to rent a car from the arrival airport and return it at your departure airport.

If you are driving during the autumn season then I'd recommend driving the Skyline drive in Shenandoah National Park before hitting the Blue Ridge Parkway. If you don't want to drive the entire 105 miles of skyline drive then just enter via either Thornton Gap or Swift Run Gap Entrance on your way south.

Blue Ridge Parkway starts as soon as Skyline drive ends in Shenandoah National Park.

Stops to take on Blue Ridge Parkway – Day 1

Here are some of the stops we took –

• The entrance of Blue Ridge Parkway (mile 0)
• Humpback Rock Overlook hike (mile 6)
• James River Visitor Center (mile 63)
• Peaks of Otter Visitor Center or Walk around Peaks of Otter Lake across the street (mile 86)
• Hike Peaks of Otter if you have energy left or take the shuttle up to the Peak of Sharp Top Mountain (mile 86)

Lodging/Hotels

Stay back the night at either at Peaks of Otter Lodge (mile 80) or Roanoke (mile 120) or Floyd (mile 160).

Dinner

We love dining at historic home-style southern food places and highly recommend these two spots –

• The Homeplace, a southern-style family restaurant, in Roanoke (mile 120)
• The Pine Tavern Restaurant in Floyd (mile 160)

TIP: If you skip the Skyline drive then you could consider adding Natural Bridge in Virginia to your itinerary!

Day 2: Blue Ridge Parkway from Virginia to North Carolina

Although it might seem like there are many stops on day 2 they are all just along the way.

Stops to take on Blue Ridge Parkway – Day 2

Here are some of the stops we took –

• Mabry Mills (mile 176)
• Blue Ridge Parkway Music Center, Galax VA (mile 213)
• Linn Cove Viaduct (mile 304): This is the most recently constructed part of Blue Ridge Parkway. Not to mention "the" image you will find on Google when you search the parkway. There are 3 great spots to see this viaduct as seen in those postcard photos. 1. Tanawha trail from Visitor Center, 2. A short trail from Yonahlossee Overlook, 3. Rough Ridge Lookout Trail.
• Grand Father Mountain (mile 305): You can either just see the mountain from the overlook on Blue Ridge Parkway or take a 20-minute one-way detour to experience the Mile High Swing Bridge. We had to skip the swinging bridge due to cloud cover with barely any visibility which is very common in Autumn months.
• Apple Orchard at Altapass (mile 328): This beautiful orchard is nestled in between the Blue Ridge Mountains serving apple goodies including cider tasting. Makes for a perfect break from all that driving. Remember though that the Orchard closes at 5 pm!
• Little Switzerland (mile 334) – It's really just a resort unless you are staying back the night or having a meal here, I'd skip it.

If you have more than 3 days in your itinerary you might want to add these two waterfall hikes –

• Linville Falls
• Crabtree Falls

Mabry Mills in Blue Ridge Parkway Virginia

Driving on BRP covered with clouds

For majority of our drive this was the visibility situation

Altapass Apple Orchard

Lodging/Hotels

Stay back the night in Asheville.

Dinner

• Spicewalla
• Urban Orchard for cider tasting or
• Enjoy dining at Biltmore Estate

Day 3: Last Stretch of Blue Ridge Parkway

This section was one of my favorite parts of Blue Ridge Parkway as it goes higher up in the elevation from Asheville to Smoky Mountain National Park. I will mention a few stops that we made but hey feel free to stop at random outlooks that you find along the way. In fact, if you want to get out and about there are a ton of easy-moderate hikes in Asheville.

• Folk Art Center Asheville
• Explore Biltmore Estate in Asheville before hitting the Parkway
• Graveyard Fields
• Devil's Courthouse
• Richland Balsam Overlook (Highest Point on the Parkway)
• Waterrock Knob

The North Carolina end of Blue Ridge Parkway

Day 4: Return Journey

For those flying back, here are some of the closest airports in the North Carolina end of the parkway –

• Asheville Regional Airport
• Charlotte Douglas Airport – 2 hours from Asheville
• Atlanta International Airport – 4 hours from Asheville

For those driving back to DC as we did, it's roughly 7-8 hours drive back on interstate highways. Give yourself an entire day to get back home.

Extra DAY (Explore THE GREAT Smoky Mountains National Park)

We took day 4 to explore the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and return back to DC on day 5. If that's something you'd like to do too then I recommend staying back the night in the town of Maggie Valley in North Carolina. It's a quaint little town close to both the Blue Ridge Parkway and Smoky Mountain National Park.

I really preferred staying on the North Carolina side of Smoky Mountain NP this time after having stayed in the more commercialized Gatlinburg in Tennessee during my previous trips.

There you go, a fun 3-4 days of driving through the mountains! We wish we had more time to explore Asheville but will be back. Just for you Asheville!

Clear night skies on Blue Ridge Parkway. Photo of our cabin in Floyd, Virginia

Important tips for driving Blue Ridge Parkway in Fall/Autumn Season

These tips will come very handy so please READ IT 🙂

1. Drive through Shenandoah NP if possible before hitting Blue Ridge Parkway, fall is pretty spectacular there.
2. Since days are going to be shorter in autumn, give yourself a realistic driving schedule.
3. Enjoy the dark skies over Blue Ridge Parkway and soak in the million-star views.
4.  The cellular coverage in the Parkway is pretty spotty. Download offline Google Maps or cache the directions on your cell phone. Verizon seemed to be the most reliable network here.
5. Given the dense trees, the parkway gets dark before sunset and with it being two-lane road it gets tricky when driving in the dark.
6. For those two reasons above, we would advise you to switch from Blue Ridge Parkway to a regular highway if you want to continue driving after sunset to your accommodation.
7. North Carolina section of Blue Ridge Parkway is higher up in elevation than the Virginia section. Since trees start changing colors at higher elevations first, you'll notice a disparity in the fall foliage along the drive.
8. Expect driving through the clouds on your way on Blue Ridge Parkway especially in fall and when higher up in the mountains.
9. Make sure to fill up gas every morning near your lodging, even if you're driving a fuel-efficient vehicle. The last thing you want is to be stranded in the woods with no gasoline.
10. Going back to tip no. 4 save a bunch of good playlists on your phone. For you might not be able to stream your music online.
11. There are limited restrooms on the way so when you see a visitor center stopover for a restroom break.
12. Speaking from experience – Try to have at least 2 drivers on this road trip so you split up the drive. I drove the entire stretch myself and could've easily used another set of hands & eyes behind the wheels.

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Related Read – A unique fall road trip through West Virginia

Happy Traveling!

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