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Blue Ridge Parkway Celebrates 75th Birthday
The Blue Ridge Parkway, known as America's Favorite Drive, celebrates its
75th Birthday this year!
RVers can find some of the most spectacular scenery
in the US along the Parkway as it meanders 469 miles from Shenandoah National
Park in northern Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North
Carolina. The parkway follows the Appalachian Mountain chain, and RVers lucky
enough to follow the entire distance can see remnants of the oldest settlements
along the parkway, learn a bit of the history from exhibits at the Visitors
Centers, and read all the overlook signs.
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Fall is one of the most colorful times for RVing along the Blue Ridge
Parkway. (NPS Photo)
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A hundred different species of
trees, a variety of flowering shrubs and wildflowers as well 54 different
mammals and 59 species of birds live along the parkway, more than the entire
European continent! Skyline Drive connects to the northernmost section of the
parkway, winding along the crest of the mountains ranging from 650 to 6,000 feet
in elevation from Front Royal 105 miles south to Waynesboro.
Developed sites
along the parkway make it easy to stop, park, stretch, visit restrooms and
exhibits, hike and get a bite to eat. Campgrounds and lodging are available with
opportunities to fish and view wildlife.
Some of the highlights RVers will
want to experience along the Parkway include Humpback Rocks (Milepost 5), with
old Appalachian farm buildings of the 19th century at the Mountain Farm Exhibit.
During summer months, RVers can enjoy living history demonstrations. The
Humpback Rocks Visitors Center features exhibits on housing, community,
transportation and entertainment of the region.
At Milepost 34.4, The Yankee
Horse Ridge Parking Area features narrow gauge railroad tracks once known as the
Irish Creek Railway. There is also an exhibit on logging. The James River
Visitors Center (Milepost 63.6) features an exhibit on the James River and
Kanawha Canal, which was once a primary commercial route, as well as Appalachian
culture sites, hiking, campground, picnic area, hiking, fishing, restaurant and
gift shop. A trail takes you to a restored lock dating from the mid-19th
century.
The Johnson Farm, Peaks of Otter, at Milepost 85.9 is a living
history farm during the summer. Peaks of Otter features Appalachian culture
sites, a Visitors Center, campground, gas station, camp store, picnic area,
lodge, hiking and fishing. There is a shuttle bus to Sharp Top for a fee. The
"Polly Woods Ordinary" served as a lodging establishment for travelers in the
early 1830s. At Milepost 115 is Virginia's Explore Park. Learn about the 1671
Native Americans, the rugged existence of the 1757 frontier settlers, and the
evolution of an 1850s community in young America.
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Several sites along the Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina allow
scenic vistas at any season of the year. (NPS Photo) |
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A four mile side trip to
Roanoke Mountain (Milepost 120.4) leads to where the Great Wagon Road branched
south into North Carolina and west into Kentucky, where many early Appalachian
settlers made life altering choices.
The Trail Cabin, (Milepost 154) is
circa 19th-century, and represents the isolation of mountain residents.
Mabry Mill at Milepost 176.1 allows visitors to explore the mill and see
demonstrations (spring through fall) of a blacksmith shop, wheelwright's and a
whiskey still.
The Blue Ridge Music Center (Milepost 213) features an
amphitheater, where a Summer Concert Series is featured each Saturday evening
June through September. Construction is underway for the museum, which will
highlight the music roots of the region.
Campgrounds and
Lodging
Campgrounds along the Parkway include Otter Creek Campground, Sharp
Top Summit, Roanoke Mountain and Rocky Knob and the Sherando Lake Recreation
Area. Campgrounds along the parkway are open from May to November and are
maintained and supervised by National Park Rangers. They are primitive sites
without hookups or showers, but each is equipped with a picnic table and
fireplace. Fresh water and sanitary dump stations are available, too. Campsites
cannot be reserved. Lodges along the Parkway are open year around.
Otter
Creek Campground (Milepost 60.8 ), has 45 tent and 24 trailer sites. Many
campsites are along the banks of Otter Creek. There is a restaurant, gift shop
and the James River Visitors Center is just a 3.5-mile hike on the Otter Creek
Trail. Sharp Top Summit is the northernmost boundary of the Cherokee Nation. The
area has a gas station, 62-table picnic area, campstore and 141 campsites with
53 RV/trailer sites. Roanoke Mountain Campground at Milepost 120.4 offers 74
tent and 30 RV sites; three sites are accessible to campers in wheelchairs. At
Milepost 169.0, Rocky Knob Campground features 81 tent and 28 trailer sites.
Sherando Lake Recreation Area in George Washington National Forest is about
4.5 miles off the Parkway on Highway 814 at Milepost 16. Sherando Lake features
swimming, camping, picnicking, hiking, and fishing.
The campground has 65
campsites as well as group sites. Amenities include drinking water, flush
toilets, showers, and a dump station. Swimming facilities include a sandy beach,
a shaded grass area, and a bathhouse with warm showers.
The Sherando Lake
Recreation Area lies within the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains and is one of the
most popular recreation areas in the George Washington National Forest. The area
includes 2 lakes with most of the recreational facilities lying between them.
Sherando Lake is the lower and larger of the two lakes at 24 acres. It, as well
as many of the recreational facilities, were built by the Civilian Conservation
Corps during the mid 1930s.
Crazy Horse Campground, (540-721-2792) located
on Smith Mountain Lake is just a short drive from the Parkway at Roanoke. Crazy
Horse has full RV hook-ups, waterfront sites and a marina.
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