Rcommendations for Skyline Drive

Friends,

I am planning a trip at the end of the month up to the Blue Ridge. I will be driving up from Tampa and a friend will be driving down from Detroit. We meet in Little Switzerland and spend a night at the Alpine Inn - this is iour usual annual get-together. This year we want to go straight north along the Blue Ridge and then cover the Skyline Parkway until it ends. I have a couple of requests:

1. Can anyone recommend some nice motels on or near to the Skyline?

2. Any general comments on this plan? We have about three days to drive before we have to head off back home, and we're just looking to do some relaxed touring and see some pretty places.

I have done a search on the forum so I have looked at what others have said about the drive, in general, but I think there may be other thoughts and experiences out there as well. Any advice or comments are much appreciated!

Skyline

Having done quite a bit of the Blue Ridge and Cherohala when I went to the Rally, I found I did not want to do the entire road. While it is very beautiful and scenic it becomes a lot of the same mile after mile. There are a lot of roads that offer much more "spirited" riding around.
Give this website a try and enjoy !

http://www.motorcycleroads.com/

Natural Bridge

Check out the Natural Bridge Hotel in Natural Bridge, VA. It's about 10 miles off the BRP, and central to many great roads, east and west. We stayed in the patio rooms in July.

Go to www.naturalbridgeva.com

They even have a discount for cyclists, Two Wheel Steal.

I agree with Jim. I actually like the BRP but can see how it would get old after a couple of iterations. Skyline Drive, on the other hand, was so slow it became mind numbing about halfway down. Going that slow my mind wandered and I had a real hard time concentrating on riding safely. While certainly not a fast rider, I do appreciate the occasional jolt of adrenaline to keep me alert.

There were some fantastic roads to the east and west. Next time I'll stick to them.

Pete

Be very aware of the huge deer population along the Skyline Drive. They are not at all people or vehicle shy, mostly due to being fed by the tourists in spite of the signs posted telling not to feed the deer.
Have fun!

Go on a weekday

glenfiddich said:

I agree with Jim. I actually like the BRP but can see how it would get old after a couple of iterations. Skyline Drive, on the other hand, was so slow it became mind numbing about halfway down. Going that slow my mind wandered and I had a real hard time concentrating on riding safely. While certainly not a fast rider, I do appreciate the occasional jolt of adrenaline to keep me alert.

There were some fantastic roads to the east and west. Next time I'll stick to them.

Pete

Click to expand...

Adding 10 MPH to your trip makes all the difference. The absense of lights or stop signs makes it great.
Ron

Just to agree with a couple of posters....it's very slow and patroled quite well. But, very scenic. And definitely watch out for deer. They don't seem to be too startled with quieter bikes, but a buddy of mine was riding his Harley and the deer were giving him quite a bit of grief.

Enjoy your ride!