Blue Ridge Pkwy.

[Coffin]

Hello, looking for information towing down the Blue Ridge Pkwy. Good camping spots, road conditions, traffic, gas, etc.

Planning on a trip this summer.


Thanks!

[3 Happy Campers]

Here’s a lot of stuff I found while researching a run down the Blue Ridge Pkwy & Skyline drive.
No fuel right on the Pkwy. You have to detour off & into a town to find fuel or camping.
Make sure you know your rids height! Some of the tunnels are really low. Some are arched & a larger rig would have to drive right down the middle to get through.
Spring & fall are the best times of course.

[3 Happy Campers]

I have a couple more docs but getting an error when trying to up load.

Your submission could not be processed because a security token was missing.


Might have up loaded too much already today.

Will try again a little later.

[Coffin]

Thanks for the docs, looking also to chat with someone on the forum who has made this trip personally.

Thanks again!

[LadyWindrider]

Coffin,

I live within 1 hour of the Blue Ridge Parkway, well part of it anyway. It is over 400 miles long, and is a beautiful road. We often take day trips and week-end trips to different section on our motorcycles. It has taken a few years, but we have been on it from end to end. Feel free to send me a private message with questions. Also her is the official link to their website, and by the way, there is no fuel on it of any kind, gas or diesel, so trip planning for fuel is a must.

Blue Ridge Parkway - Home

We're most familiar with the area from Asheville, north to the edge of Virgina.

[campdohbrew]

Originally Posted by Coffin

Hello, looking for information towing down the Blue Ridge Pkwy. Good camping spots, road conditions, traffic, gas, etc.

Planning on a trip this summer.


Thanks!

Can I reserve campsites on the Parkway? At our most popular campgrounds, Peaks of Otter, Mount Pisgah, Price Park, and Linville Falls, reservations can be made on-line at recreation.gov or by calling 1 877 444 6777.

Will I have any problem getting my recreational vehicle through the Parkway tunnels? There are twenty six tunnels along the Parkway, one in Virginia and the others in North Carolina, mostly south of Asheville. Check tunnel heights and lengths: Blue Ridge Parkway - TUNNEL HEIGHTS (U.S. National Park Service)

Where can I get gas while traveling on the Parkway? Gasoline tanker trucks delivering gas to underground storage tanks at the top of many community watersheds creates a potential hazardous situation. That's why there is no gas on the Parkway. A little bit of planning, however, will allow you to stop at two or three places to fill up and, in addition, to experience Blue Ridge life at its best in the local communities in the region.

National Park Services Blue Ridge Parkway's Frequently Asked Questions: Blue Ridge Parkway - Frequently Asked Questions (U.S. National Park Service)
Blue Ridge Parkway

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by Coffin

Thanks for the docs, looking also to chat with someone on the forum who has made this trip personally.

Thanks again!

We did the Parkway in the Spring of 2010. Our intention was to do the entire parkway in 2 days, but thick fog the 2nd day forced us off of the mountain....I was driving 10 mph in some places, and still going too fast.

We started at Afton Mountain at mile marker #1.



We made numerous stops, including this 1 at Otter Creek....I think:



And here at Mabry Mill:



The roads were not the best at the time, but I understand that ongoing road work is being done. We went late spring, and there was still many low hanging branches and brush on the side of the road that made me drive to the middle of the road to steer clear of obstacles. We has some major snow storms that winter, so that contributed to the problems.

It was a fantastic 1st day that I would highly recommend.....unless a trailer might be pushing the maximum tow weights of the TV. Of course there were hills, so we were either going uphill or downhill all of the time. I got fairly good fuel mileage with leg of the trip at 11.1mpg.

After several hours of driving through the fog the 2nd day, we got off of the Parkway near Boone, NC., and continued our trip on to Gatlinburg TN. via conventional roads.

[Coffin]

Thanks for the first hand experience. Shooting for late July this year, towing a Salem 23' 5th with my F250, not worried about the weight. Live in the West, grew up in Idaho, so familiar with towing around the Rockies.

Concerned about the pullouts, gas stops, overhangs, traffic etc. on the Blue Ridge. I have read on other forums that some have towed the entire length, great experience, some tried it, scared them to death. We live in Las Vegas, so we tow long distances to get back to Idaho/Montana. Going slow on twisty roads is not a problem, just want to know what to expect. Have experienced the crowds in Yellowstone and the Tetons alot of summers.


Thanks again, nice pics!

[Steeljag]

OK......now I'm just jealous as he77 !! Gotta get up there !

[MtnGuy]

A couple more pictures to whet y'all's appetites.

[LadyWindrider]

That's Mabry Mill, about 1.5 hours from me, on the motorcycles. Nice restaurant to eat in also.

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by windrider

That's Mabry Mill, about 1.5 hours from me, on the motorcycles. Nice restaurant to eat in also.

I understand that is 1 of the most photographed places in the US.

[Smokyroo]

I live maybe 15 minutes from the BRP here in Jackson County, NC. There are two choices stay in private campgrounds off the BRP like Mile High near Balsam or Bear Den near Spruce Pine for example or stay in National Park campgrounds along the way. I have ridden my bicycle on many sections of the BRP and driven the entire thing. It is a cool road for sure and the places off of it are nice to explore as well. I actually make a custom chocolate bar sold in their NPS visitor center gift shops. I prefer the NPS camping experience but have been both to Mile High and Bear Den. I have stayed at Grand Father Mountain RV park near Valle Crusis for a bike event called Blood Sweat and Gears and have stayed at Stone Mountain State Park east of the BRP near the Virginia border for another cycling event called Hurt Pain and Agony. I would reccomend both but liked the state park much better.