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SOUTHEAST: BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY Ski Magazine
May/June 2001 Details Drive
Length: 469 miles With
a speed limit never greater than 45 miles per hour, the Blue Ridge Parkway
evokes a simpler era when families packed picnic lunches and went
“motoring” to fill sunny Sunday afternoons.
This 469-mile linear national park, a Depression-era public works
project, dips and bends through the gentle mountains of the Southeast,
connecting Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park in North Carolina. The
Parkway starts in Rockfish Gap, VA. If
you need gas, get it here, because there aren’t many convenient
opportunities ahead. You’ll
quickly notice the mileage markers that line the road.
They’re the Parkway’s universal language: Starting at Rockfish Gap with MP (Mile Post) 1, the markers
run south to MP 469 and are used to locate nearly every attraction along
the way. For instance, near
MP 6, Humpback Rocks Visitor Center is the first of many pull-outs where
you can pick up a Parkway map. You
can also tour a historic working farm or hike to Humpback Rocks. Between
MP 13 and 14, Route 664 heads down one mile to Wintergreen Resort.
A regional skiing center, this four-season resort is also famous
for its exquisite golf courses. Bluff
Mountain Tunnel (MP 53) is the first of many tunnels, while Otter Creek
Campground (MP 59) is typical of the excellent National Park Service
campgrounds available. From
here to Roanoke, the Appalachian Trail often parallels the road, offering
a chance to hike the famed “AT.” Roanoke
is near MP 120. The “Star
City” got its name from the lighted star on Mill Mountain.
Bikers should hit Explore Park (MP 115) while urbanites will want
to head downtown to the Roanoker, whose sausage-and-gravy biscuits are a
state treasure. Depending on
the time of day, you can stop at Mabry Mill (great pancakes) or the
Chateau Morrisette Winery (try Our Dog Blue). You
hit the North Carolina state line around MP 217.
Except for areas around Boone and Asheville, the North Carolina
portion of the Parkway is remote (especially south of Asheville), so check
your gas gauge and snacks. The
crafts shopping in North Carolina’s mountains is superb. Drop into the Northwest Trading Post (as in “northwest”
North Carolina) in Glendale Springs (MP 259). Non-shoppers can hit Moses
H. Cone Park (MP 294) to hike on former carriage trails.
From Boone (MP 291), you can head to ski resorts like Sugar
Mountain, 15 minutes west. Or
climb Grandfather Mountain in Linville (MP 305) or cross Mile-High
Swinging Bridge, of which Charles Kuralt noted, “This is a sufficiently
awesome experience to dissuade many otherwise brave men and women from
walking across.” Asheville
(MP 382) is home to authentic Appalachian crafts at the Folk Art Center.
The Parkways’ southern tip is beautifully remote as you approach
Cherokee and Mile Post 469, the end of the line. From here, you’re just
a few miles from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Or you can pull a U-turn and motor north for more adventure, this
time counting down from MP 469. - Lynn Seldon
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