Blue Ridge Parkway
The long blue ribbon connecting the Smokies into North Carolina. A slower, expansive counterpoint to the technical roads.
The Road
The Blue Ridge Parkway runs 469 miles along the crest of the Blue Ridge, from Cherokee, North Carolina to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. The southern miles are the closest to us and the highest — the road passes six thousand feet near Richland Balsam, the highest point on the parkway.
It is a 45-mph national park road built for the long look: stone tunnels, milepost markers, and an overlook every few minutes. Nothing about it is technical, and that is the point. It is the unhurried counterpoint to the Dragon and the Triangle.
When to Drive
May through October. Sections close for ice and fog in winter. Color peaks in mid-October and draws the year's heaviest traffic — start early.
Drive It with Raines Routes
The Parkway extends an overnight or multi-day route east into North Carolina. We pick the entry near Cherokee, the overlooks worth the stop, and the table waiting at the end of the day.