Photos: Matthew Trudeau / CC0 1.0 · AppalachianCentrist / CC BY-SA 4.0 · National Park Service (Shenandoah National Park) / Public domain
Pick one end. Nobody drives the Parkway fast, so the Virginia stretch and the North Carolina mountains make two trips.
26 places · Blue Ridge Mountains
Must-seeTwo lanes and 469 miles along the crest, linking Shenandoah to the Smokies past split-rail fences and overlooks. Time it for rhododendron in spring or the color in fall.
Must-seeThe most visited national park in the country, and it never closes. Cross it on Newfound Gap Road, over the spine of the Appalachians.
Must-seeSkyline Drive runs 105 miles along the crest, with more than 70 overlooks onto the Shenandoah Valley. Trails drop off it to waterfalls and granite summits.
Must-seeThe Mile High Swinging Bridge spans 228 feet across an 80-foot chasm, with the Blue Ridge all the way around you. Admission covers the wildlife habitats and nature museum too, which makes it an easy half day when the weather holds.
Must-seeYou can drive nearly to the top of the highest peak east of the Mississippi, then walk a short path to the observation deck. The Fraser fir forest up there smells and feels almost Canadian.
Must-seeGeorge Vanderbilt's French Renaissance château, still owned by his descendants, with Blue Ridge ridgelines framing it from the front lawn. Save the afternoon for Frederick Law Olmsted's gardens and the winery.
Must-seeThe permits are free, but only 100 a day go out for the gorge floor. Without one, the metal staircase still gets you down to a suspension bridge swaying 80 feet above the river.
Must-seePull over on US-276 and take the short stairway down to the plunge pool, where the spray cools a summer afternoon. In a hard freeze the 60-foot falls turn to columns of ice.
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AttractionsOther lists that cover the same ground.
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