The top 9 things to do on a Blue Ridge Parkway road trip

Hug the high spine of the Appalachian Mountains, backbone of the eastern United States, on a road trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

“America’s Favorite Drive,” as the tagline goes, is easily one of the prettiest ribbons of blacktop anywhere. A little background to get the trip-planning juices flowing: The Blue Ridge Parkway was initiated in the mid-1930s under FDR and basically completed by 1966, except for the short Linn Cove Viaduct piece not finished until the 1980s.

The Parkway traces the crest of the Blue Ridge, the highest chain in the Appalachians; you’ll be topping out at over 6,000 feet where the road crosses the Great Balsam Mountains in North Carolina. Managed by the National Park Service, the Parkway is on average the most-visited National Park Service unit in the country.

Our recommended route

While you can certainly slice off rewarding chunks of the Parkway if you’re limited by time, we recommend experiencing its full length if you’re able, giving a couple of nights (at least) to the jaunt so you’re not rushed. It’s about 470 miles between the north end of the Parkway at Rockfish Gap, Virginia—just south of Shenandoah National Park—and the southern terminus in North Carolina where the Cherokee Indian Reservation bumps up against Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

When to drive it

The Blue Ridge Parkway is typically fully open between spring and fall; winter can see some closures due to snow and ice. The drive’s ravishing any time of year, but you could make equal arguments it attains its show-stopping peak in early summer—when the ridgeline rhododendron gardens are blooming—or autumn, when the hardwood seas visible from Parkway overlooks catch fire with fall foliage.

7. Asheville, NC

(milepost 382.6)

One of the East’s prettiest and liveliest mountain towns, this small city offers great food, drink, and such attractions as the Biltmore Estate, a fine botanical garden, and the childhood home of author Thomas Wolfe.

8. Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center

(milepost 384)

An easy double-whammy with the Folk Art Center, this sustainably built, LEEDS-certified visitor center opened in 2008 and helps you contextualize your journey. Highlights include a 22-foot-long interactive digital map of the Parkway and an award-winning film on the byway’s natural and human history.

9. Richland Balsam

(milepost 431)

Pull off at the high point of the Blue Ridge Parkway for a hike up to one of the tallest Appalachian peaks: 6,410-foot Richland Balsam, which crowns the Great Balsam Mountains.

Possible detours/add-on destinations

Carve out a week or 2 so you can add the 2 bookend national parks of the Blue Ridge Parkway to your itinerary. Shenandoah National Park serves up plenty of knockout views from overlooks along Skyline Drive—essentially a northern extension of the Parkway—and from summits such as Old Rag, Stony Man, and Hawksbill mountains. In the south, Great Smoky Mountains National Park includes some of the highest peaks in the East (Clingmans Dome, Mount Guyot, Mount LeConte), remarkable homesteader structures, spectacularly diverse temperate forests, and good viewing opportunities for white-tailed deer, black bears, coyotes, and reintroduced elk.

Another good detour off the Parkway is the short drive on N.C. 128 to Mount Mitchell: at 6,684 feet, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River.

Where to stay

• The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, Curio Collection by Hilton (110 Shenandoah Ave., Roanoke, VA): Built in 1882, this is one of the grandest hotels along the Parkway, as evidenced by its Four Diamond designation from AAA.
• Hampton Inn Tunnel Road (204 Tunnel Rd., Asheville, NC): This well-appointed AAA Three Diamond hotel is strategically situated near Asheville restaurants and shops.

Where to eat

• The Regency Room (110 Shenandoah Ave., Roanoke, VA): This magnificent dining room in the Hotel Roanoke delivers throwback elegance and classic dishes, and earns a Four Diamond designation from AAA.
• Highland Brewing Co. (12 Old Charlotte Hwy., Suite 200, Asheville, NC): This pioneer of the Southeast’s craft beer scene offers a regular roster of outdoor live music and is a great introduction to the sudsy side of Asheville, which lays claim to more craft breweries per capita than any other U.S. city.