Nearly a year after Hurricane Helene rocked the southeastern U.S., the famed Blue Ridge Parkway — and many stops along its 469-mile route — is almost fully open again.
This serpentine, two-lane ribbon of blacktop follows the twisting spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains (a subrange of the Appalachians) from Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. With a speed limit of 45 mph, the Blue Ridge Parkway sacrifices directness for mile after mile of untamed alpine beauty.
You can hop on and off at countless junctions along the route, including two attractive midsize cities: Asheville, North Carolina (also open and welcoming tourists) and Roanoke, Virginia. But if you're up for a grand adventure and can spare a few days, it's well worth driving the entire parkway. You'll encounter remarkable diversions along the way: hundreds of scenic viewpoints and picnic spots, miles of hiking trails for every skill level and a bounty of engaging historic sites that shed light on Appalachian heritage and folkways.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on The Points Guy Articles.
