Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469 mile motor road along the Blue Ridge of the Appalachian Mountains, linking Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. The National Park Service runs it as a park in its own right. Concrete mileposts mark every mile, from Milepost 0 at Rockfish Gap to Milepost 469 at US 441 by the Smokies.

The parkway was designed as a slow, leisurely motor route. It has 26 tunnels, 25 of them in North Carolina, and its highest point is Richland Balsam at 6,053 feet (1,845 m). It is an All-American Road and has been the most visited unit of the US National Park System in all but four years since 1946.

Building started on 11 September 1935. The last piece, the Linn Cove Viaduct, which skirts the side of Grandfather Mountain, was finished in 1987.

• In Virginia the road runs the crest from Rockfish Gap past Humpback Rocks and Ravens Roost, which looks over Torry Mountain and the Shenandoah Valley, to the James River and the three Peaks of Otter.
• Further south the Roanoke Valley Overlook (Milepost 129.6) looks over Roanoke, the largest city on the parkway, then Mabry Mill (Milepost 176.1) has a gristmill, sawmill and blacksmith shop.
• In North Carolina the Linn Cove Viaduct (Milepost 304.4) wraps around Grandfather Mountain, with Flat Rock (Milepost 308.3) looking over Grandfather Mountain and the Linville Valley.
• Craggy Gardens (Milepost 363.4 to 369.6) is covered in purple rhododendron in mid to late June, and the Folk Art Center and the parkway visitor centre sit near Asheville at Mileposts 382 and 384.
• South of Asheville come Mount Pisgah, Looking Glass Rock, seen from many spots, the grassy bald of Black Balsam Knob and Devil's Courthouse, then Richland Balsam (Milepost 431), the highest point at 6,053 feet.
• Waterrock Knob (Milepost 451.2) has a panorama of the Great Smokies, then a run of tunnels leads down to the end at US 441.
• More than 200 formal overlooks line the road, and personal cars, motorcycles, tour buses and bicycles all share it.
• Best way to experience it: drive it yourself in your own car or a hire car, ride it on a motorbike, or join one of the guided tours that run on it.

• Road status is on the NPS page https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/roadclosures.htm, updated daily. On 2 November 2026 these sections were closed: Milepost 63.5 to 63.9 at the James River Bridge for rehabilitation, with a signed detour from Milepost 61.4 to 64, the Roanoke Mountain Loop at Milepost 120.3, and Milepost 344.2 to 355.3, NC Highway 80 to Mount Mitchell State Park, for Hurricane Helene damage, where recreation of any kind is banned. Hiking at Crabtree Falls is also banned.
• The motor road does not close for winter, but weather closes sections for long periods, especially north facing slopes, tunnels and high ground. Snow and ice clearing is limited, and the park limits de icing chemicals.
• The speed limit is 45 mph unless posted lower.
• Commercial traffic is not allowed.
• Many tunnels clear 14 feet at the edge line, but the lowest are lower: Big Witch (Milepost 461.2) 11 feet 7 inches, Lickstone Ridge (Milepost 458.8) 11 feet 8 inches and Bunches Bald (Milepost 459.3) 12 feet 3 inches at the edge. Crossing the centre line is illegal, so taller vehicles detour around these sections. Tunnels have no lights, and passing cyclists inside a tunnel is not allowed.
• The formal overlooks are the places to pull over, and when one is full another is not far along the road.
• There are no fuel stations on the parkway, only just off it at the access points.
• Mountain weather changes fast, even in summer.

• Last verified: 3 November 2026
• Official link: https://www.nps.gov/blri/index.htm