Blue Ridge Parkway: what to know before you drive it
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469-mile scenic road along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. The speed limit is 45 mph at most and there is no fee; drive it for the views, and use it to reach the twistier roads that drop off either side.
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What it's like
The Parkway was built for scenery, not speed: gentle grades, stone overlooks, no billboards and no commercial trucks. Mileposts count up from 0 at the Virginia end, and everything along it — overlooks, campgrounds, exits — is located by milepost.
The best sections
In North Carolina, the stretch around Grandfather Mountain and the Linn Cove Viaduct, and the high country south of Asheville toward Mount Pisgah, are the most dramatic. In Virginia the road is gentler, through farmland and over the Peaks of Otter.
For driving rather than sightseeing, use the Parkway as a connector: NC 215, US 276 and US 221 near Blowing Rock all leave it for much twistier roads.
Closures
Sections close whenever there is ice or snow, and the high-elevation stretches near Asheville can stay closed for weeks in winter. Repairs close sections at other times too. Always check the National Park Service's real-time road status before a trip.
Drives on and off the Parkway
Curated drives first, then by how much they bend.
- Blue Ridge ParkwayNear Afton352 miCurated
- Diamond Back LoopNear Little Switzerland9.1 mi223 corners24.5 / miCurated
- Shenandoah LoopNear Greenwood117 mi1,627 corners13.9 / miCurated
- Grandfather Mountain DriveNear Blowing Rock17 mi170 corners10.3 / miCurated
- Little Switz downhill11 mi166 corners15.3 / mi
- Little Switzerland LoopNear Marion16 mi217 corners13.3 / mi
- CLT to DiamondbackNear Mount Holly145 mi1,203 corners8.3 / mi
- Linn cove viaduct/HWY221 LoopNear Blowing Rock29 mi244 corners8.3 / mi
- Bryson City to Asheville Via BRPNear Bryson City96 mi632 corners6.6 / mi
Questions
- How long does it take to drive the whole Blue Ridge Parkway?
- At 45 mph with no stops it is over ten hours of driving; most people take two to four days.
- Is the Blue Ridge Parkway free?
- Yes. There is no entrance fee for the Parkway itself.
- Is the Blue Ridge Parkway open in winter?
- Partly. Sections close for ice and snow, often for long periods at high elevations. The National Park Service posts closures in real time.
Keep reading
- What are the best driving roads near Asheville, NC?The Blue Ridge Parkway, NC 215, US 276 through Pisgah Forest, NC 209 and the Diamondback at Little Switzerland — the best driving roads within a couple of hours of Asheville, mapped and graded.
- Back of the Dragon: what to know before you drive itBack of the Dragon is Virginia State Route 16 between Marion and Tazewell: 32 miles and 438 curves over three mountains. Where it starts, what it's like, and the loops around it.