Blue Ridge Parkway

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Whether you travel north, south, east or west, few parts of this country compare to the natural beauty you'll find along the Blue Ridge Parkway. As it meanders through North Carolina and Virginia, you'll marvel at the lush hillsides, abundant wildlife, and quaint, picturesque towns.

The Parkway leisurely weaves its way through the Appalachian Mountain chain as it extends to the southern end of the massive Black Mountains, ambling over 469 miles and ending near the Great Smoky Mountains. Everywhere you look, you'll find trees, trees, trees - and in autumn, they burst into color, ranging from deep red to bright yellow and vivid orange. Springtime is no less spectacular. The flowering shrubs put on a show that rivals the display of trees.

The Blue Ridge Parkway history is full of colorful characters and hard working, determined, supporters. The road was not easily built, nor was the route easily determined. Several excellent Parkway histories have been written and many Parkway books are available at the visitor contact centers along the Parkway.

Blue Ridge Parkway - think of it as over 469 miles of scenic perfection.

There are many fascinating tales ranging from the construction techniques developed in the rugged terrain of the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the back-room politics involved in North Carolina winning the final route over its neighbor Tennessee. So like any good history, North Carolina's Blue Ridge Parkway history will be a work in progress for a while. But rest assured that you'll find plenty of great stories and new pages coming online all the time.

• Mabry Mill Restaurant & Gift Shop
• Rocky Knob Cabins
• Bluffs Lodge and Restaurant
• Crabtree Meadows Snack Bar & Gift Shop
• Price Lake Boat Rentals

The idea was to create for the traveler a sense of connection to the land and its history and to inspire future generations to preserve this connection. They succeeded. Whether you travel along the 252 miles of the Parkway in North Carolina or the 469 miles of the entire Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina, you'll pass sights that fill your soul and invite you to be part of this extraordinary place. Overlooks, designed for their grand vistas, invite you to pull over and stop. More often than not, a hiking trail will tempt you up the hill where wildflowers grow in abundance from April through October. Several endangered species live on Parkway lands including wildflowers such as Gray's Lily, Heller's Blazing Star and more.

On the Parkway in Watauga, Avery and Mitchell counties, the mountains seem to grow, the mountaintops stretch higher, and the horizon spreads farther. (Elevations on the Parkway range from 649 to 6,047 feet.) The section of Parkway known as the Linn Cove Viaduct, near Grandfather Mountain at Milepost 304, is the newest link and an engineering marvel. This section is suspended 1,243 feet around the curve of the rugged mountain. Borrowing construction techniques developed in Switzerland, the viaduct was designed and built "from the top down" to create the least impact on environmentally delicate Grandfather Mountain. The structure was built of 153 precast concrete sections, no two exactly alike, and was completed in the 1980s.

There are so many places to stop it's no wonder that the Parkway with over 20 million visitors annually, is the No. 1 visited area in all the 385 areas in the National Park System. Visitor centers are equipped with amenities to make your trip easier, and you'll find accommodations, quaint inns and restaurants off many Parkway exits.

For current Parkway road and detour information, click here or call the Parkway information line: 828-298-0398.

Directions & Map to Blue Ridge Resort

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Crabtree Meadows Snack Bar & Gift Shop is located at Milepost 339 on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Little Switzerland, North Carolina. Address:
PO Box 175, Milepost 339, Little Switzerland, NC 28749

Doughton Park/Bluffs Lodge & Restaurant is located at Milepost 241 on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Laurel Springs, North Carolina Address:
45356 Blue Ridge Parkway, Milepost 241, Laurel Springs, NC 28644

Mabry Mill Restaurant & Gift Shop is located at Milepost 176 on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Meadows of Dan, Virginia
Address:
266 Mabry Mill Road, S.E., Milepost 176, Meadows of Dan, VA 24120

Rocky Knob Cabins are located at Milepost 174 on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Meadows of Dan, Virginia
Address:
266 Mabry Mill Road, S.E. , Milepost 174, Meadows of Dan, VA 24120

Price Lake Boat Dock is located at Milepost 297 on the Blue Ridge Parkway just north of Linville, North Carolina