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Blue Ridge Parkway late Sept. 2014

dundee387

New member
Hey Guys,

I'm planning a journey for late September 2014 from Connecticut to, and through the entire BRP, with the wife (pillion). Day 1 is home to Woodstock, VA. where we stay overnight. Day 2 is Skyline Drive starting Front Royale, heading south, and staying overnight in Waynesboro. I don't want to kill her with the mileage on this day. The next 3 days I'd like to do the entire parkway, approximately 150 miles per day, to really enjoy and soak it all in. Any suggestions on places to during these three days, approx. 150 miles apart? Roanoke area ? then ?

I was thinking the last day staying in Ashville...

We would do Skyline Drive on Monday, and then continue south from there... doing none of the trip on the weekend (on the parkway).

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated... We're not into fancy bed & breakfast places, but we do like Hampton Inn's, Holiday Inn Express, or motorcycle friendly places along the way. On or off the parkway doesn't matter.

Thanks for any recommendations you may have!
 
The opposite

I'm basically doing the same in reverse at the end of April leaving from the Florida Keys. We're staying in Tellico Plains for five days and riding to and from there on day trips although we make the loop to Asheville an overnighter. A friend of mine told me that the town of Helen, GA is worth a visit.
 
How about a guide?

I've done the Blue Ridge Parkway tip to tip round trip twice. The only part of the Parkway I was disappointed in was the section around Roanoke, Va. Civilization has encroached on the Parkway. Even though I used to live near the Skyline Drive, I refused to ride it because they charge for it and it only has a 35 MPH speed limit. I live within about 50 miles of the Parkway now and we frequently use the Parkway as a road to get to another road rather than a destination. The guide to the Parkway can be very helpful. http://www.virtualblueridge.com/
 
We took a north to south "end to end" trip on the BRP during the last week of September 2011. We took our time getting up to mile marker 0, not wanting to rush things. It's a good idea to plan the leisurely trip so you can enjoy it. The maximum speed limit on the parkway is 45 mph. The park service has some lodges right on the parkway. There are also nice places right off the parkway in areas such as Talking Rock and Little Switzerland. There's even a hotel of railroad cabooses very close to the BRP in Fancy Gap, VA. We had a great and quiet view of the BRP from our room in Little Switzerland where we stayed for 2 nights. Most days we were off the bike by 3:00 pm. While on our last day, we only had 13 miles left on the BRP we stayed in Maggie Valley because it would've been too tempting to continue on home for us.

The FREE guide and map from the park service is a great source of information. I'd highly recommend making reservations that time of year for places to stay. Once you're back home, don't forget to send in for your "end to end" certificate. Be prepared for any kind of weather.

We also wrote a blog entry about our trip at: http://2upriding.net/2011/09/28/our-blue-ridge-parkway-journey/

You can also click the category or tags for Blue Ridge Parkway for any articles on the site about it.

Most importantly ride your own ride and enjoy it. It sounds like you're already headed that way.
 
Skyline Drive

I noticed that you will start on Skyline Drive on Monday. Good choice, as getting onto Skyline Drive in the North entrance to the park on a weekend is horrendous. There are numerous lights in Front Royal to get through and a long line at the park entrance. If you get there early when the park opens, you may not have to wait too long. On option to get to the park entrance that will avoid Front Royal is: Strasburg to Rt 55 to Rt 678 to Rt 619 to Rt 340. This puts you just south of the park entrance and avoids Front Royal altogether.

Another option to consider is not do the North section of Skyline and go from Woodstock to Luray. Stop off and see the Caverns. Enter Skyline Drive via Rt 211, Thornton Gap. The entrance to the park there has minimal traffic compared to the North entrance.

Enjoy the ride, and watch your speed on Skyline.
 
Suggestions for the Asheville area

I can suggest some possibilities around the Asheville area. If you want to camp, look up Blue Ridge Motorcycle camp. It is located approximately 4 miles off the BRP on 276 heading toward Cruso, NC. Highway 276 is at mile post 410. It only allows motorcycles in the camp. It does have cabins for rent. If you like a bed and breakfast then look up Brent Creek Lodge. It is off of 191 at mile post 392. It too is just off the parkway near Asheville. The Pisgah Inn is run by the Park Service and if you can book a reservation, it is a very good option for a hotel. It is on the Parkway just before you get to 276. The restaurant was very good this past season. The contract could change for this coming season, so it may not be the same. Plan on seeing Mount Mitchell at mile post 350. It is the highest point east of the Mississippi. All these mile posts are estimates. Please look them up to be exact. If you like to take sunrise pictures, Pounding Mill Overlook is one of the very best on the Southern end of the Parkway. It is located at approximately 413 mile post. Waterrock Knob is a great place to take sunset pictures at 451 mile post. Caney Fork Overlook is also great for sunset pictures which must be around mile post 430. Maggie Valley was mentioned in one of the responses, Wheels Through Time is located there and if you like American motorcycle history, then you must see it. There hundreds of restored Harley and Indian motorcycles along with many more motorcycles made by many motorcycle companies in the early 1900's. The amazing thing, is that every single motorcycle runs and you can ride them. As you navigate the BRP, do not speed! They give out federal tickets that can be $1000 or more. Just plan on a leisurely ride, and never sight see while riding. There are plenty of overlooks that are well positioned. The road in most places is not severe for motorcycles, but it is carve on the side of mountains. Once you cross a yellow line or leave the pavement, you may not have a chance to recover. Just a few suggestions. Ride safe and have fun!
 
Plan a day in case you get fogged in, the southern part of the BRP the fog is out of a Stephen King novel. Fort Royal Skyline drive and BRP to Asheville is about 500 miles at a 45-50 mph. You may not have a lot of time for sight seeing over 3 days.

The southern part of the BRP (north of Asheville) is the nicest part of the BRP. Asheville is about 6 hours of super slab from Woodstock. Go to Asheville first, then head north (home) on the BRP. At any time you could head over to I 81. If you complete Skyline from Asheville in 3 days then you two did some nice riding.


Skyland Resort has nice rooms or cabins, call for reservations, not all cabins/room are shown on website. Great views about 40 miles from Fort Royal on Skyline Drive. Food is okay. It is our first spring ride of the year.
The Inn at Little Switzerland has great steaks and rooms with a view. Ride the Diamond Back. We go there for our anniversary in october.
Asheville
Be Safe
Tony
 
Be aware the BRP has rock tunnels that plunge you into total darkness, transition glasses won't adjust in time and dark sunglasses are a problem. You are also sharing this road with many bicycles on a nice day. But it is beautiful and a wonderful trip. Be safe and enjoy!
 
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