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Views from the Blue Ridge Parkway
Pictures of the BlueRidge Mountains!
The Blue Ridge Parkway runs through the North Carolina mountains and covers 469 miles of some of the most beautiful landscape in the United States. And I'm lucky enough to live within one mile of it. My husband and I (and our chihuahua, Lexie, of course) love to explore the many hiking trails it offers. Sometimes when we're bored, we'll just drive the Blue Ridge Parkway and look at all the beautiful scenery of the North Carolina mountains.
I'd like to share with you my short videos and pictures of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Have you ever been to the Blue Ridge Parkway?
The area I'll cover
The Blue Ridge Parkway runs from the southern terminus of Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive in Virginia at Rockfish Gap (mile marker 1) to U.S. Route 441 at Oconaluftee in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Cherokee, North Carolina (mile marker 469).
Unfortunately I haven't traveled the entire parkway so my photos are limited to the spectacular views between mile marker 216 and mile marker 305.
Video of the Blue Ridge Parkway
Brinegar Cabin - mile marker 238 on the Blue Ridge Parkway
This tiny cabin was built by Martin Brinegar around 1880 and lived in until the 1930s when the homestead was purchased for the Parkway from his widow, Carolyn. Next to the cabin is a small garden which is still tended to today. Below the cabin, down the hill is a spring house where they got fresh water everyday. Inside the cabin, you can see the loom Caroline inherited from her mother.
The Blue Ridge Parkway at Sunset - Pictures of the Blue Ridge Parkway
The amazing sunset was viewed from the Wildcat Rock Overlook, which is located at the start of the Fodder Stack Trail. Both can be found at mile marker 241. The guidebooks say that the Fodder Stack Trail is a moderate loop trail that runs for 1 mile. From personal experience, I can tell you that, while most of the trail is moderate, the last 1/4 mile is extremely steep.
Fodder Stack Trail and Wildcat Rock Overlook - Pictures of the Blue Ridge Parkway
Click thumbnail to view full-size
Cascade Falls - Pictures of the Blue Ridge Parkway
Cascade Falls is located at mile marker 272. It's a 1 mile self guided trail that leads to a beautiful waterfall. But unlike other waterfalls, you don't view this one from the bottom. The trail leads to about the middle so you can look up, or you can look down. It's a spectacular view either way.
The Linn Cove Viaduct - Pictures of the Blue Ridge Parkway
This is a bottom view of the Lynn Cove Viaduct as seen from the Linn Cove Viaduct Access Trail. The Linn Cove Viaduct Access Trail starts at mile marker 304. It's an easy trail that runs for .16 mile before it connects to the Tanawha Trail.
The Tanawha Trail - Pictures of the Blue Ridge Parkway
This is a mini waterfall seen on the Tanawha Trail. The Tanawha Trail starts at mile marker 305. It's a moderate trail that runs for 13.5 miles.
Personally, I think the Tanawha Trail is the best one I've hiked. It's full of big rock structures to climb through and it even has a few shallow caves to explore.
More Pictures of the Blue Ridge Parkway
Click thumbnail to view full-size
Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway
Sorry for the shaking at the end.
Great travel guides - about the Blue Ridge Parkway
Sunset on the Parkway PostcardsBUY NOW
Majestic Sunflower Mouse PadBUY NOW
Yep! You can virtually drive down the parkway and see the same views as if you were truly there! You can even shift your view left, right or even look behind you! It's amazing what technology allows us to experience these days.
Photos and text; © 2011-2013 Catherine Taylor. All Rights Reserved
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
What do you think of the Blue Ridge Parkway?
The Smokys are my favorite place in the world. Loving the virtual tour at the end!
I went to college at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Now I'm in Houston but miss the mountains dearly and find time to go back each year. Great lens about a beautiful part of our country.
Great lens! I used to live in Asheville for a while as a youngster and I have fond memories of my family driving along the parkway and enjoying the scenery.
Nice lens, and the link to the virtual tour at the end is great icing on the cake.
Great lens with excellent photos!
Fabulous images! Good lens, thanks.
Gorgeous photos!
I think I'd like to see it in person. How very beautiful it is. It always amazes me how much beauty our country had spread throughout the various states.
Wonderful tour of the Blue Ridge Parkway. My parents moved to Stuart, Va when I was in college and I loved touring around the parkway when I was home for the holidays. We would eat breakfast at Mabry's Mill on the parkway and it was so good. I do remember another time when I was working at a camp in the North Carolina Mountains and driving a group of Girl Scouts up the parkway for a campout when the breaks on the camp station wagon went out. Whew, I was so afraid but was finally able to pull off and slow down enough to use the Emergency Brakes.
I love the Blue Ridge Parkway! The Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great Smokey Mountains are two of my favorite places in the world!
Pretty. I think we will get to drive part of it when we get to North Carolina in the next few months.
Now I'm nostalgic. I hiked through the Shenandoahs on the Appalachian Trail on my thru-hike and crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway ... well, I don't know how many times. A lot! Most of the time, though, the trail through the Shenandoahs is down below the road, so we don't get many of those amazing views. I still loved the hike through there, though, and have driven the Parkway a few other times.
I think this parkway is the most beautiful on earth. We've traveled the Blue Ridge Parkway a number of times during vacations and sightseeing. Absolutely beautiful, and your photos are wonderful. Thanks for sharing. Blessed.
Wow. The beauty if breathtaking. I love the photo of the rocks on The Tanawha Trail. (I'm a rock hound of sorts.) Thanks for sharing your part of the country. Blessed. Bear hugs, Frankie
I took a trip from New England down to the Skyline Drive at Fort Royal, Virginia and then down the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was a beautiful trip in late May 1977. I'd love to do it again, but I'm on the other side of the country now.
Beautiful place. I've always wanted to go here. We had a trip booked in July of 2006, but the weather was torrential rain so we decided to pass by this and come back later. We've been talking about going back ever since. Blessed by the US Travel Angel, and featured on my East Coast Road Trip lens in the North Carolina module. Great work!
What a beautiful photo tour of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It would be wonderful to see it for myself but this was the next best thing.
What a beautiful photo tour of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It would be wonderful to see it for myself but this was the next best thing.
It's a beautiful drive. I always love driving it in the fall. Thanks for the pictures and videos
Fabulous, I want to live in that cabin, and take walks everyday round the beautiful scenery. Blessed By an Angel
I love the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is a great lens! I'm going to lensroll it on my lens about Wildacres Retreat, which is very close to the parkway. Thanks for sharing!
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@Faye Rutledge: I wish we would drive all the way through. Unfortunately my husband always stops just beyond the Virginia line.
Thanks for sharing these beautiful photos of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I've spent many hours there! We are in VA and live about an hour from the Peaks of Otter (milepost 85). Many years ago, my Mom and Dad worked for the Parkway as living history demonstrators at the Mountain Farm Cabin which is around Milepost 6. I've been down your way before. Come visit us in VA sometime! :)
Those are really pretty. I need to get outside more.
How lucky you are to live so close to this spectacular scenery. Great photo's. thanks for sharing
When my husband and I were engaged, he was sent on an extended business trip to Roanoke, VA...and rather than bring him home for a weekend visit, his company sent me down to visit him (they were so excited about us getting married, and those were the good old days when small companies could afford to do things like this). Anyway, we took a nice drive on Blue Ridge Parkway in the Blue Ridge Mountains...it was fall, 32 years ago...wow, that sounds too long ago to be true.
It is so pretty! I love all the pictures.
Breathtaking! I would love to see it one day.
Yep, just like I remembered it. Beautiful pictures. It was good to see this area again.
Beautiful drive along the BR Parkway! Hard to keep your eyes on the road!
It's about time you wrote a lens about your beautiful part of the country. The Blue Ridge Parkway is awesome. So are your photos and you wrote about them so nicely. Blessed by an Angel. This lens will be featured on my angel lens: "angel-on-assignment".
Beautiful land. I hope you enjoyed your trip.
Missed the parkway when I was in North Carolina. It is beautiful country!
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