Blue Ridge Parkway: Scenery goes a long way
Officials at the Blue Ridge Parkway have predicted a busy tourist season this spring and summer, especially with lower gas prices.
The 469-mile parkway — the USA's longest linear park — offers a window on the Appalachian region as it meanders through southwestern Virginia's pastoral rolling hills and climbs into the steep mountains of North Carolina, where overlooks offer breathtaking views.
Ally Fortune of Roseville, Calif., stopped at the visitor center near Asheville with friends for suggestions about nearby trails. It was her first time visiting. "It's gorgeous. I love it," she says. "It's very green, and l love all the trees."
Bill Slaski of New Jersey stopped at an overlook north of the visitor center. He did the entire parkway back in the 1970s. "This is the best scenery I've seen in this country," he says.
Getting off the parkway and into local communities is one of the joys about traveling through this national park.
Stop at the Booker T. Washington National Monument near Roanoke, Va., where the noted educator and leader was born a slave. Visit the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site near Asheville, N.C., to learn more about the author/poet's life.
The Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, Va., has a summer concert series planned. Small towns that dot the road offer a great experience in Appalachian culture. And the drive is beautiful drive no matter the season.
The road is in good shape for the spring and summer, but visitors should check the National Park Service's real-time parkway road map before heading out. It will offer the latest on closures. The website is nps.gov/ maps/blri/road-closures.
About the park
Size: 469 miles long
Visitors: 13,941,749 in 2014
Established: 1935
History: The parkway was created as part of New Deal efforts to provide jobs during the Great Depression. Work began in 1935 and was completed in 1983.
When visiting: The parkway starts at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and ends at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Cherokee, N.C. The headquarters is at Asheville, N.C. For info: 828-298-0398.
Of note: The parkway has 300 scenic overlooks.