Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a designated National Parkway and a unit of the National Park System. It stretches for 469 miles (755 kilometers), connecting Shenandoah National Park in the north to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the south.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is renowned for its stunning natural beauty, winding through the Blue Ridge Mountains and offering breathtaking views of rolling hills, lush forests, and picturesque valleys. The parkway is especially renowned for its vibrant fall foliage, as the changing leaves create a vibrant tapestry of colors in the autumn months.
Along the parkway, there are numerous recreational opportunities and points of interest. Visitors can enjoy scenic overlooks, hiking trails, picnic areas, and campgrounds. The parkway also provides access to historical sites, cultural exhibits, and visitor centers that showcase the rich history and cultural heritage of the region.
VISIT Blue Ridge Parkway:
Park Details
Blue Ridge Parkway was established in .
| Address | |
|---|---|
| Phone | |
| Hours | 24 hours a day, it's a highway! |
| Entrance Fee | Free |
When to Visit: Weather vs. Peak Visitation
The weather information below was for Asheville, NC. The Blue Ridge Parkway is 469 miles long, and thus has different weather patterns as it makes its way up through North Carolina and Virginia.
Using Historical Data to Predict
We crunched 30 years of historical weather and/or park service data to find the best months to visit Blue Ridge Parkway. We looked for the optimal temperatures, the least amount of snow and rain, and stayed away from peak visitation months if we could help it. All this data then helped us paint a picture as to what the absolute best time to visit Blue Ridge Parkway is.
Our data shows the best months to visit Blue Ridge Parkway are October, April, May & June.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Visits | 397,983 | 370,506 | 704,563 | 1,115,896 | 1,355,730 | 1,694,982 | 2,012,963 | 1,823,739 | 2,053,503 | 2,238,812 | 1,294,956 | 884,515 |
| Precipitation | 100 | 88 | 135 | 129 | 126 | 133 | 161 | 139 | 142 | 83 | 104 | 93 |
| Avg Temp | 45 | 48 | 54 | 63 | 69 | 76 | 78 | 78 | 73 | 64 | 55 | 47 |
| Max Temp | 60 | 63 | 69 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 86 | 85 | 82 | 76 | 68 | 62 |
| Avg Temp | 29 | 32 | 38 | 46 | 54 | 61 | 65 | 64 | 58 | 48 | 39 | 32 |
| Min Temp | 8 | 13 | 18 | 27 | 38 | 50 | 57 | 56 | 43 | 31 | 23 | 14 |
Blue Ridge Parkway Road Trips
Many family vacations consist of stringing one or more national parks together during a week-long trip. Creating these types of trips is our specialty! Here are the road trips we've created where Blue Ridge Parkway is visited.
| Trip Name | Trip Miles | Trip Days |
|---|---|---|
| The Full Blue Ridge Parkway Road Trip | 713 | 8 |
| Mammoth Cave & Smoky Mountains | 536 | 8 |
| DC, Shenandoah, New River Gorge to Great Smoky Mountains | 767 | 9 |
Other Nearby National Park Sites
From national monuments, to historic sites to seashores and more, here are the other parks closest to Blue Ridge Parkway.