Blue Ridge Parkway Travel Tips

foreign [Music] if you've been keeping up with our channel for the past five years this is going to be hard to believe but this is the first time in 2023 that Carolyn and I have been on the Blue Ridge Parkway and that's really saying something considering we've made over 100 videos on the parkway since 2017. in this video I'm going to share some traveling tips if you're planning to visit the Blue Ridge Parkway this year now we've made multiple facts videos about the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and in North Carolina if that's the kind of video you're looking for here's a tab in the top right corner of your screen but I'll also leave tabs that link to our other Blue Ridge Parkway facts videos and I'll leave Links at the end of this video as well so if you haven't already click the like button and let's go to the mountains thank you [Music] how long does it take to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway oh I don't know 10 hours Let's just call it 12 hours why not yeah that's not happening the Blue Ridge Parkway is 469 miles long so I guess you could make it a 10-hour trip look 15 million people visit the Blue Ridge Parkway annually it's about a half day to a full day's drive from almost anywhere east of the Mississippi so the parkway is accessible and it's beautiful I'm not saying you can't drive the Blue Ridge Parkway in a single day but why would you want to the speed limit is 45 miles per hour the length of the Parkway and trust me people drive slower the Blue Ridge Parkway is the most scenic Road in the Appalachian Mountains no matter how hard you try you won't be able to resist spending time on some of the most breathtaking look-offs in the country so let's say you're wanting to drive the whole Parkway I'd plan for at least two full days in one night and that's if you're not planning on hiking some of the Appalachian Trail or any of the other 300 trails along the Parkway and if you are planning to do some hiking do yourself a favor carve out four days in three it's out of your schedule you'll thank me later in fact please thank me later now listen if you don't have that kind of time to spend on the parkway just keep watching there are lots of other options get on this side what's the best part of the Blue Ridge Parkway well we love all the Blue Ridge Parkway in both Virginia and in North Carolina but sure there are parts of the parkway that we like more than others and we're not crazy about a couple of stretches either let's say you only have one summer day to spend on the Parkway in my opinion the best stretch on the parkway is between milepost 291 and 469 but if you're not real familiar with the Blue Ridge Parkway let me explain that in terms you might find more familiar thank you let's say you're on vacation in Gatlinburg and tomorrow is your last full day but you've had all the peanut butter fudge and Fanny sparkly hot dogs you can handle here's your chance to have a wonderful time on the parkway step one drive to Pigeon Forge Walmart and get everything you need for a complete picnic be careful traffic through Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge is terrible this time of year you're going to need a couple of beach towels too step two go ahead and pack everything tonight and load the vehicle except for toiletries and what you're wearing make sure you have a change of clothes to step 3 before the sun comes up be in the car with your hotel coffee to go heading towards Cherokee North Carolina on 441 or Newfound Gap Road that's the only paved road that traverses the Smoky Mountains listen you're going to love this drive all by itself trust me it's awesome step four as you're descending into Cherokee North Carolina you'll see a sign for the Blue Ridge Parkway this is the Blue Ridge parkway's Southern Terminus or milepost 469. once you pass this sign you're on the Blue Ridge Parkway enjoy step 5 after an entire day on the Blue Ridge Parkway You're Going to exit around Boone North Carolina now what I just described is our favorite stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway you're riding the spine of the Appalachian Highlands if you stop for a picnic play in The Creeks and stop at the amazing look-offs this is a long but amazing day trip on the parkway along this segment of the Blue Ridge Parkway you can visit Mount Mitchell tallest mountain in the Appalachian mountain chain trust me there's a reason it's our favorite part of the parkway [Music] do [Music] that I hate borging into one of my own videos but if you're enjoying this video on any level I really hope you'll subscribe to our Channel thank you for giving this video a chance and I hope you'll leave a comment if you're already a subscriber welcome back and if you could share this video or any of our videos on one of your favorite social media platforms it would really help okay let's get back to the mountains short trips foreign most of the people Carolyn and I run into don't try to drive all the Blue Ridge Parkway in one day they drive a section here and there but here's an example of why that can be problematic without knowing a thing or two about the parkway one of the problems with the trip I mentioned in the last chapter is where you exit the parkway Boone North Carolina is a great mountain town but if you're in any kind of a hurry After exiting the Parkway and having landed in Boone North Carolina well you're still in the mountains and well over an hour away from an interstate I'll talk more about navigating access and exit points on the parkway later in the video but there are many exits along the Blue Ridge Parkway that are close to an interstate for example on that same day Excursion I mentioned in the last chapter if you were pressed for time instead of going all the way to Boone you could take one of the Asheville exits off the parkway Interstate 26 is close to milepost 393.6 on the Parkway and Interstate 40 is close to milepost 384.7 the famous Vanderbilt Castle the Biltmore Estate is in Asheville so this segment of the Blue Ridge Parkway is very popular if you're trying to make sure that you have enough time on your Blue Ridge Parkway Excursion Cherokee to Asheville is a safe bet [Music] the Virginia problem the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia is amazing if you're planning a trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia I pay close attention to this part of the video the North End of the Blue Ridge Parkway is located at Rockfish Gap near Waynesboro Virginia the entrance is right off Interstate 64. for the most part access points at the North End of the Virginia Blue Ridge Parkway are straightforward here are a few things to remember in Virginia and North Carolina for that matter there's no quick Venture into town off the parkway most of the time it's a long curvy road going down or coming up to the parkway if you leave the parkway for a burger or something it's going to take a lot of your time in Virginia once you're off the ridge line it's beautiful Farm country the Shenandoah Valley so most of the time there isn't a lot to choose from on the way to interstate 81. interstate 81 runs parallel to the Blue Ridge Parkway but even here getting to Interstate 81 from the parkway can take up to an hour depending on where you're exiting the Parkway and then there's Roanoke look roanoke's a pretty cool Town we've even made a couple of videos in Roanoke and yes I have friends that live in Roanoke but for whatever reason Roanoke has an enormous internet footprint pertaining to the Blue Ridge Parkway and it really shouldn't from milepost 106 to milepost 135 you don't even feel like you're on the parkway it's also easy to get distracted and end up in downtown Roanoke driving through Roanoke to access the Blue Ridge Parkway off Interstate 81 is a long drive and traffic can be a nightmare making matters more complicated let's say you enter Virginia Blue Ridge Parkway into a Google search several Roanoke tourist websites pop up and that confuses a lot of people however hats off to the person who runs these websites I'm not saying this to be mean but this area is probably the least significant section of the entire 469 Mile parkway so don't get caught in that trap the easiest place to access the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia is at the north entrance at Rockfish Gap milepost zero it's literally just off Interstate 64. in just a few minutes from Interstate 81 from Rockfish Gap Jefferson's Monticello is a quick drive towards Charlottesville if you stay on the parkway going north you can access Virginia Skyline Drive which is like the Blue Ridge Parkway but you have to pay for it moving on [Music] foreign on rare occasions we use this app Blueridge parkway.org we've never used it to its fullest capabilities and we always regret it go ahead download this app I use their interactive map the most here's an example of what I was talking about in a previous chapter when it comes to knowing where you're going to exit notice this area right here south of Galax Virginia all the way to this area in North Carolina on this map it may look like these interstates are just down the road but they're not it can take as long as a couple of hours to get to an interstate from the Blue Ridge Parkway in this area this is a great app to gain more information about the section of the parkway you're exploring I've exchanged emails with their staff a couple of years ago and they're extremely nice I've left links in the description keep in mind cell service isn't reliable on the Parkway in fact I would just turn your ringer off and not worry about it but you can download these Maps I recommend familiarizing yourself with the maps before you go but through this map you can navigate to the National Park Service road closures website obviously the app isn't necessary to access the National Park Service road closure website but what I like about using this app is that it helps to remind me to check for closures [Music] foreign [Music] I'm not a conspiracy theorist at least not on YouTube but when I search for a Blue Ridge Parkway access point and my map app gives me a location 30 miles away when I know there is one close to where I'm at I'm convinced they're plotting against me whoever they are for whatever reason when you're searching for a Blue Ridge Parkway access point on your smart device and it doesn't matter what the device you're using you don't always get the closest point in fact it might take you to an entrance Point 50 miles away we verified this with several other people I can't find any information as to why this happens if you know tell us in the comments it would really help and it's this situation that inspired the video you're watching now now here on the map you can see that there are five different access points to the Blue Ridge Parkway but both of our apps were taking us to this access point now Carolyn and I are used to this so it wasn't that big of a deal we worked it out but when we first started going to the Parkway in Virginia this was a real headache day trips or afternoon excursions to the Blue Ridge Parkway are easier than you think if you realize how close you may be to an access point and this isn't something that's well advertised but it's another reason why the app is a good idea [Music] wow I am so over on time I'm gonna have to make a part two listen your comments are so important I want to hear what you have to say so please leave a comment tell me what I got wrong or what you enjoyed here are some of the videos I mentioned at the beginning of this video and I want to thank you so much for watching don't forget to hit the like And subscribe button my name is Bill Marion and this is a nose for life

Channel: Bill Marion

Views: 8,887

Keywords: Mountain View Experience, Blue Ridge Parkway Travelling Tips, Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, Appalachian Mountains Roads, Blue Ridge Parkway Facts Video, Virginia Mountain Drive, Appalachian Scenic Parkway, Blue ridge Parkway getaway, Blue Ridge Parkway North Entrance, Blue Ridge Parkway Northern Terminus, Linn Cove Viaduct, driving all the Blue Ridge Parkway, planning to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, Blue Ridge Parkway getaway

Id: uLms9A4uI3M

Length: 12min 10sec (730 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 04 2023