Blue Ridge Parkway in May

[prussell]

I live in Maryland, and am planning on riding the Blue Ridge Parkway from it's beginning to end on my way to Deal's Gap in May. Can anyone give some advice as to how much time to allow (hours, days, etc.) to travel the BRP from start to finish? Thanks!

[Ted]

I live in DC - I have always started on Skyline Drive early on day 1, overnighted just off the BRP at the Lakeview Motel (next to a great Diner) in Fancy Gap, VA, then finished the BRP on day 2. Unless you are going quite leisurely and stop a bit the BRP is too long for one day (especially with the stepped up enforcement) and not quite long enough for two :)

To answer your other questions - the BRP, for me at least, is just no fun on weekends. There is a lot of traffic, folks going slow in front and tailgating behind, pulling out when they ought not be, mysteriously slowing down at inoppurtune times, etc. During the week it is heaven, very light in traffic and often it is if you had the whole thing to yourself. My recommendation is to go during the week, preferably starting out Tuesday or Wednesday.

The National Park Service has an excellent site for the BRP at nps.gov (http://www.nps.gov/blri/), with everything from distances and attractions (like the buckwheat pancakes at Mabry Mill) to temperatures and road conditions. If I remember correctly, it is 425 or so miles from end to end.

EDIT - Here is the map (http://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/upload/blrimap-2.pdf) they hand out at the guard stations, it is well worth a good look-over.

[Jfixit]

I agree with the "ride it during the week" suggestion, weekends are pure frustration. If you are travelling alone figure ten hours ride time on the parkway I think that would be a safe guess. Add half a day if you ride Skyline drive also.

[TomBarnhart]

I usually ride the entire length, South to North then return at least twice a year.

Great ride, be aware that the possibility for freezing rain, snow, sleet and rain early in May. Of course, there is also the possibility for great clear sunny days. Ride the Shenandoah part with great caution. Speed is strictly enforced. It is only 100 miles so be patient and enjoy the scenery. You should be able to make Peaks of Otter lodge the first night. It is on the Parkway, a bit pricey, but a neat place to stay. The second night you should try to make it to Mt Pisgah, just south of Asheville. It is about 60 miles from there to the end where you can overnight in Cherokee and do the Dragon, then start back North the next day.


Set your pace and enjoy the ride. There is a directory of places to stay that is available at all the visitor centers. They no longer sell gas on the parkway so plan your stops to coincide with meal stops. By all means, do the Mabry Mill meal stop. The rest of the restaurants on the parkway are overpriced and touristy. If you have time, get off at Blowing Rock and have some great BBQ at the Woodlands.

Do not try to ride the parkway on the weekends. Too many spacey tourists and a lot of RVs plodding along.

[alien_hitchhiker]

I have ridden the Parkway end-to-end in about 12 hours .

I didn't see much.

Breakfast in Cherokee, dinner at Rockfish Gap :thumb

Two days would let you throttle back and take in the views.

[NavyDad]

Ah yes, the Parkway. I have ridden it in as little as two days and as much as four days, it just depends on how much you play around. There are many scenic views and sidetrips, if you hit a lot of them be prepared to take some time. As mentioned before, the Parkway can be a bear on the weekends. In May the weather will be a factor. It can change in a heart beat. The lower end of the BRP can have some of the nastiest fog that I have ever seen. Visibility can be zero and I mean ZERO. I made my first bike trip on the BRP in 1976 and I haven't missed a year since. I will never get tired of that road. By the way, they no longer sell gasoline anywhere on the parkway so you will have to jump off for fuel. That's no big deal though.

[lamble]

I rode it last year in May. The wind blew all the time. I saw everything sideways.

If you do jump off, make sure you don't leap as far as the Sportsman Motel in Marion. This has to be the rankest place I've ever stopped at.

www.roughguidesintouch.com/lamble was my blog of the cross USA ride, but I didn't need to refer to it to remember the Sportsman. I've got to stop now, the itching has come back...

[robsryder]

I've ridden the BRP several times. I think that the transit time from one end to the other is really up to the rider and the expectations about and from the ride. I think that a one day journey along the entire length is neither comfortable nor safe.

During early morning and late afternoon there will be deer near and on the road. While it is possible to greatly exceed the posted speed limit (45 mph with some areas posted lower), the likelihood of a ticket goes up as well. Riding during the week will usually find more bikes than cars on the BRP. A speed of 45 mph isn't an unpleasant speed in my view, but 50 mph usually will not result in a ticket. I have been on the BRP when rain and fog make 20 mph seem too fast!!!

Two days is a pleasant ride time and allows a more leisurely pace with a few stops.

If you want to see more sights and hike around a bit, then longer is better (I've taken three days to traverse a bit of Skyline Drive and the BRP through Asheville in the past). Over the years I've hiked a good bit of the various scenic spots along the way.

The mile markers along the BRP start near Waynesboro, Va. Reference is usually made to something at a mile-marker location. Some links related to the BRP follow...

http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/
http://www.nps.gov/blri/
http://www.virtualblueridge.com/
http://www.highcountryparkway.com/
http://www.brpfoundation.org/
http://www.blueridgeparkwayusa.com/
http://ncnet.com/brp-intr.html
http://www.blueridgeskyline.com/

more motorcycle oriented on the BRP and surrounding areas
http://www.motorcycleadventuremap.com/Rdcd.html
http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/rideanddest/motorcycle_riding_blue_ridge/
http://www.virtualblueridge.com/things-to-do/motorcycling.asp
http://www.motorcycleplayground.com/Roads/roads.html

m/c campgrounds & resorts near the BRP
http://www.blueridgemotorcyclecamp.com/
http://stationsinn.com/index-a.html
http://www.willvillebikecamp.com/
http://www.mindspring.com/~barmar/blue%20ridge%20motorcyle%20camp.htm
http://www.mountainbrook.com/Motorcycle.html
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/
http://www.mindspring.com/~barmar/high_country_cycle_camp_ground.htm

[k12koop]

It is very easy to ride the length of the BRP in one day. As I recall it is 488 miles. in the summer when you easily have 12 hours or more of day light it is a non event. The only issue is that you will actually see very little of it. For the most part it is posted 45mph limit. If you are touring it is very easy to avg over 50 the whole length if that is the kind of riding you are accustomed to.

If you just want to make miles one day is not a problem. One thing to consider is fuel on the parkway however so plan your fuel stops well.

Koop

[njnear]

Definately start on Skyline Drive near Front Royal. Speed limit is 35 in this part, we got away w/ 40-45 in July. Great 100 mile warm up for the Blue Ridge. I suspect you will want to stop and take some pic's.

There are many side trips one could take such as Mt. Mitchell (highest point east of the Mississippi). And since you're going to Deal's continue around the south side to the west side of the Smokey's and ride back across the middle of the park to Newfound Gap w/ a side trip to Clingman's Dome (7 miles from the gap).

If you have a day +/-, the Biltmore house in Asheville is a site to see.

If you're in G'burg, I recommend breakfast at the Pancake Pantry (on the main drag) and dinner at the Peddler (near the park entrance).

[flat_twin]

I live in DC - I have always started on Skyline Drive early on day 1, overnighted just off the BRP at the Lakeview Motel (next to a great Diner) in Fancy Gap, VA, .


My wife and I have stayed many times at the Lakeview motel. Just so you know, it's an older motel with so-so beds but it's reasonably clean and the price is right. They don't mind if you pull your motorcycle up under the awning if its raining.
If you're packed for camping you might try Willville motorcycle camp. It's about 20 miles east of I77.
The other motorcycle only camp is on NC state rt 176 near Cruso. Blueridge motorcycle camp is a great place to stay. They have cabins with bedding so you don't have to pack any camp gear. It's worth a visit just to see the place and at least ride 176 down off the parkway.

[prussell]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the tips, I'm looking forward to an awesome ride.

[docsouce]

If you have the time stop and check out the "Wheels Through Time" motorcycle and automobile museum in Maggie Valley N.C. It's right off the parkway near Cherokee. I've been down the BRP twice in the last 2 years enroute the Dragon and have really enjoyed the exhibits there.

[rinty]

With the low speed limit, what is the squid factor on the Parkway, during the week?

Rinty

[DougGrosjean]

I live in Maryland, and am planning on riding the Blue Ridge Parkway from it's beginning to end on my way to Deal's Gap in May. Can anyone give some advice as to how much time to allow (hours, days, etc.) to travel the BRP from start to finish? Thanks!



I took about 2.5 days in April 2006, with my 12 y/o son on the back.

Could be more or less for you - depends on how often you stop, how early you start, etc.

Watch the weather - you can still get bad stuff there in May.

Photos from my April 2006 trip:
http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h33/DougGrosjean/Spring%20Break%202006/

Brush is sort of bare in April - May would likely be much better.

Check some of the websites others have sent for when services open on the BRP. None are open in April, but it's usually fun to jump off the BRP onto the twisty roads into a valley to get fuel / eats.

At southern end, I can reccomend several places to see:

Wheels through Time museum
Nanthala Outdoor Center Restaurant
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest

Have fun, and be careful - I've aborted several off-season trips partway down the BRP due to snow / ice. Never got to do the whole thing in one shot till about my 5th try, in April 2006.

[Brettendress]

I ride the parkway every year to deals gap and always the first week of May. What I find is that its sometimes real foggy and cold the more south you go believe it or not, and you will probably have to run the side roads at the bottom quite a bit. 220 seems to always work, I like to stop in Galix NC right at the border of Virginia and NC for some excellent BBQ at the center of town. Weekdays are the best no one else uses it. Check the weather and if its bad ride West Virginia down through Senaca Rock on 220 and then over to 219 south and ride the parkway back home if the weather permits, both roads are excellent. Don't even attempt the parkway if it appears to be fogged in you'll get nowhere!

Brett Endress
r1150gs
r60/5
Vfr750
Vulcan 800

[2bikemike]

With the low speed limit, what is the squid factor on the Parkway, during the week?

Rinty

It would have to be quite low, but in my journeys on the Pky., I have not encountered many of the dreaded squids. Not many people to impress on the Pky.

[PaulWhite]

Rode the BRP in June, 2005 as 1st camping trip w/ riding friend. Took five days to wander down entire BRP down under the Smokies to Deals Gap and back through the Smokies to meander back up to VA criss-crossing the BRP. Rode the BRP on weekdays. Early June weather was great mixture of cool and warm but not the dense fog mentioned in April... Part of the BRP was washed out above Asheville - guess that's reopened now. Thought the posted 45 mph limit was just right to enjoy the scenery and the BRP caution signs are worth respecting as they are well-placed. Stops I recall were coffee breaks at the BRP diners, Lunch at the Nantahala Outdoor Center before reaching Deal's Gap, staying at Cades Cove Campground beyond Deal's Gap - Sunday night - riding the Cades Cove loop 1st thing Monday AM w/ clearing fog and wildlife, staying at Carolina Hemlocks campground near Mt Mitchell on the way back... Great experience

[robsryder]

I've found a much better reason as to why the BRP trip will take several days. The answer is on the ADV site - link below:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=209110