Blue Ridge Parkway & Shenandoah National Park - Mid October - Any Tip

[Venturer]

You will definatly have a lot of traffic to contend with that time of year. We love taking the bike up to the Parkway and pick it up in Cherokee NC. I really like riding it any time but spring when the Mt. Laural is in bloom. Be careful and keep and eye out for crazy leafers & bears. Ohh and you can probable see some elk between Cherokee and Maggie Valley.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Also near Harrisonburg, avoid Family Weekend and Homecoming Weekend at JMU (first and third weekends. Hotels really jack up the prices for the visiting parents and alumni and it can be hard to find a place to stay. Also, for the portion of your trip on I-81, the trucks drive monstrously fast there, often 80mph.

If you decide to splurge for dinner there, I recommend the Local Chop House Grill. All locally sourced menu. Reservations need to be made in advance, as it is popular. I think I called two months to reserve dinner for 6 when DS played his senior recital at JMU. It was a Friday night, but not one of the busy event weekends. The food was amazing.

 

[Badger]

You will definatly have a lot of traffic to contend with that time of year. We love taking the bike up to the Parkway and pick it up in Cherokee NC. I really like riding it any time but spring when the Mt. Laural is in bloom. Be careful and keep and eye out for crazy leafers & bears. Ohh and you can probable see some elk between Cherokee and Maggie Valley.

+1 My wife and I rode our motorcycles from Fl to Maryland some years back and the Parkway was a beautiful ride. Fortunately at the time we went there was very little traffic when we left Maggie Valley. The speed limit will range from 25 to 45 mph. You will have plenty of chances for photography with all the turnouts along the road. That said there are many distractions and tourists don't always pay attention to anyone else on the Parkway.

Cheers!

 

[Skyward1]

Old Rag Mountain trail and a couple of adjacent trails now require $1.00 tickets and they may or may not be available on specific days depending on how busy they are so if you are planning to hike these trails you may want to get a ticket beforehand.



Cell phone coverage is very spotty.

 

[DireWolf]

I’m a native North Carolinian and have spent a lot of time on and around the Parkway. Some thoughts:
- near Cherokee, in addition to GSMNP, the Nantahala River, Bryson City (and Deep Creek), and Fontana Lake/Dam are all worth checking out.
- Shining Rock Wilderness area is a favorite area of mine to hike. The Art Loeb trail over Black Balsam is especially great. Nearby is Graveyard Fields, with a nice little hike and waterfall.
- Highway 276 down towards Brevard is worth a detour. Looking Glass Rock/Falls, Sliding Rock, Pink Beds, and lots of waterfall hikes off the fire roads. Excellent MTBing in that part of Pisgah Forest. Once down the mountain, you aren’t too far from DuPont State Park, with some very impressive falls. Oskar Blues Brewery is a short detour, too.
- Mt Pisgah has a nice inn and restaurant. Incredible views.
- Asheville area has tons of lodging (although it gets crazy expensive in season), lively downtown with restaurants and a huge brewery scene, the Biltmore, the Grove Park Inn, etc.
- Lots of stops between Asheville and Blowing Rock, including Linville Falls/Gorge, Mt Mitchell, the Viaduct, Craggy Gardens, Grandfather Mtn, Price Lake, Crabtree Falls, etc. The Switzerland Inn might be a nice place between Asheville and Blowing Rock to stay.
- Blowing Rock is a nice, if touristy, small town very convenient to the parkway, and a good base for lots of stuff on that end (like Grandfather Mtn). A good hike in that area is the Tanawha Trail. Valles Crucis (Mast General Store), West Jefferson, Boone, are all not too far.
- as you continue to Virginia, the Doughton Park area is one of the main areas of the Parkway. Brinegar Cabin is a stop nearby. If you have time to get off the Parkway, Stone Mountain State Park is great. Hike up on Stone Mountain!
- I’m less versed on the Virginia portions, but Mabry Mill is iconic. I always try to time visits with getting pancakes at the restaurant there. Roanoke is a great town. Peaks of Otter is a beautiful area, and good place to stay.

I enjoy the Parkway more than the National Parks at the ends, and then I enjoy GSMNP over Shenandoah. Ymmv

 

[old medic]

Another piece of history about Altapass. The Over Mountain Men marched through there from Sycamore Shoals, TN to Kings Mountain NC where there was a major battle in the Revolutionary War. There is a reenactment every year at Altapass Orchard.

They camped a few miles from here too. Go to Kings Mountain every year.

 

[skyking1]

DW and I will be through there in mid-November, a little late for leaf-peeping but hopefully not too much weather.

 

[harllee]

DW and I will be through there in mid-November, a little late for leaf-peeping but hopefully not too much weather.

Weather should be Ok, cold but probably not snowy. Some things may be closed by then. Altapass Orchard closes the end of October. It will not be crowded at that time.

 

[RunningBum]

DW and I will be through there in mid-November, a little late for leaf-peeping but hopefully not too much weather.

The nice part of that is, some views are blocked by trees all summer long, but once the leaves fall, the views open up even more. And I don't know the timing of this, but it's possible that you might still be able to look down and see some color in the valleys?

Have a backup plan if "probably not snowy" or icy doesn't pan out. They don't plow most sections of the parkway, and they don't let you take your chances. It closes.

 

[Bamaman]

When I traveled the region, I'd sometimes hop on and off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

To drive the entire length of B/R at 45 mph would just be too boring.

We live close to the Natchez Trace that runs from Nashville to Natchez, Mississippi, and I feel about the same about it. I'll drive part of it and the hop off on a 4 lane highway. 50 mph on the Trace also seems pretty slow.

 

[Out of Steam]

When I traveled the region, I'd sometimes hop on and off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

To drive the entire length of B/R at 45 mph would just be too boring.

We live close to the Natchez Trace that runs from Nashville to Natchez, Mississippi, and I feel about the same about it. I'll drive part of it and the hop off on a 4 lane highway. 50 mph on the Trace also seems pretty slow.

Agree on this. Fifty miles of driving continuously and 100 miles a day on the Parkway or Skyline Drive is probably enough.

 

[Out of Steam]

I know you said you're only going as far north as Harrisonburg, but if you can go a little further north you'll be in the area that we like to frequent, from Front Royal down to Luray. Skyline Drive runs along the ridge another 20-30 miles north of Harrisonburg up to Front Royal, so it's definitely doable as a day trip if you stay in Harrisonburg and there are plenty of "overlooks" on that stretch of Skyline to stop and take photographs.

Because of its closeness to the DC area, this section of the Drive is busier than it is further south, and is probably best visited during the week.

 

[Out of Steam]

My favorite hike along the parkway is to Humpback Rocks, but not the overused one mile hike straight up from the parking area, but rather a 3 mile hike from the Humpback Picnic Area at MP 8.5. It's longer but starts much higher so there's not a lot of climb, though I wouldn't call it easy. On the way you cross a rock ledge with a great view of a ski resort, and my house. A little further if you know where to get the trail, you can see the remains of a crashed T-28 Trainer (pilot and co-pilot safely ejected).

Can confirm that this and the other less-steep option, straight ahead from the Humpback Gap parking lot and right on the Appalachian Trail (south), to Humpback Rocks are better choices.

 

[skyking1]

The nice part of that is, some views are blocked by trees all summer long, but once the leaves fall, the views open up even more. And I don't know the timing of this, but it's possible that you might still be able to look down and see some color in the valleys?

Have a backup plan if "probably not snowy" or icy doesn't pan out. They don't plow most sections of the parkway, and they don't let you take your chances. It closes.

thanks. we have 12 days or so to make it back out west. That allows for all sorts of detours. It is my favorite kind of trip, one with few plans.

 

[rwdflynavy]

Get off and explore Roanoke! Lots of fun stuff including museums, breweries and great restaurants!

 

[old medic]

Be careful and keep and eye out for crazy leafers & bears. Ohh and you can probable see some elk between Cherokee and Maggie Valley.

2 weekends ago came to a screching halt 20 ft from about a 250Lb bear... nearly dropped the bike... friends are currently camped at Mile High CG and have counted 14 Elk so far. We may ride up and visit them today.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

Live a mile from the BRP near Blowing Rock. Have been to most of the places mentioned. The correct term is "Leaf Lookers."

Much to do. Do you want nearby towns with great food and hotels? Long lonesome hikes? Short hikes to views? Short hikes to waterfalls? Museums? History? Shows? Ski much?

 

[harllee]

Just got back from a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway from Grandfather to Little Switzerland and back, about an hour each way. I was shocked that there was so few cars on the Parkway, we just about had it to ourselves. Especially since it was a beautiful Saturday. It was about the least crowded I have ever seen the Parkway for this time of year. Maybe gas prices are keeping people away?

 

[GreenEggs]

The BRP is very beautiful, but after a while, it all looks the same. Take some breaks by getting off of it and checking out some of the local towns & backroads. Stop and meet some of the locals. If you just stay on the BRP the entire time it's like flipping through a very long picture book.

 

[barak]

Blue Ridge Parkway 2019

I enjoyed this trip from north to south in October 2019. I did it over three days during the week and really loved it. Mount Mitchell (highest point east of Mississippi River) was a highlight for me.

 

[Red Rover]

Don't try to take a selfie with bear cubs. The last time I was there some idiot mom tried to get her kid to get really near two bear cubs so she could get a picture. She didn't realize that where there are baby bears there are usually momma bears.

 

[Gearhead Jim]

The BRP has some beautiful scenery but it can become monotonous after a while, as others mentioned. The speed limits are low and zealously enforced, so speeding up to make better time and enjoy the curves is a big gamble. Not to mention the slow drivers and limited passing zones.

We've driven most of the BRP, breaking the trip up into a half-day or so every few years. We prefer to do it that way and spend time in the towns and back roads along the way.

Enjoy!