Blue Ridge Parkway - any recommendation?

[greenwar]

Hello LTers,

I lark around here all the time as I am an avid Lotus Elise/Exige fan. I am planning on taking a road trip to NC from MN this weekend. I plan on driving through the Tail of the Dragon, and Cherohala Skyway. I am also thinking about taking BRP all the way to virginia border from Robbinsville, NC area. That might be a little too ambitious given my time frame.

I noticed many of you took road trips through the BRP. Any suggestions on which part of BRP is a must see in terms of driving experience? From what I hear, the entire BRP is very beautiful.

I hope to hear few tips from you guys. Oh yes, I will be driving a humble 04 Civic Si for the trip.

[shovel383]

Wow, first time on the Dragon. You are going to love it. That entire area is filled with amazing roads. I make the trip at least once a year with my Ducati, but haven't taken the Elise yet.

Last year i took my first trip on the BRP. I have only been on the stretch between Cherokee and Mount Mitchell (just North of Asheville). I am sure the rest of the road is just as good. Don't be afraid to take side roads. Get a good map of the area and follow the squiggly lines. You won't be disappointed.

If you are into bikes at all and want to see a great museum, stop by Wheels Through Time in Maggie Valley.

Have a great trip and post some pics!!

[shovel383]

Oh yeah... welcome aboard!

[greenwar]

Thanks for the tips and welcome Shovel383. I will pick up a map once I get to the area. I will have the tomtom as well. Hopefully that will prevent me from getting lost.

[BRTHTAKR]

I live a mile from the Parkway. My grandfather helped survey it. My first driving lesson age 15: "See those yellow lines? Ignore them!"
It's all good. It's also all Federal: not a good place to get a ticket.

[ace10]

welcome to ET.

if you've hung around here for any time at all, then you know the routine. if you want to access the knowledge available here, you're going to have to search. this one's easy, but there's a bunch of junk mixed in.

search on "blue ridge"

just over 100 threads, but the applicable ones are very easy to spot. i live about a twenty minutes away from the BRP and have written my opinions, thoughts and ideas previously.

if you have any specific questions about the drive, go ahead and ask away.

[- Jeremy -]

Pretty much anywhere on the BRP is worth driving on a nice day. I'm more familiar with the Virginia portions, but I'm sure NC is similar.

One thing to note, though. Please be careful. Cyclists will start to ride this time of year. I'd be *really* pissed if you hit me while I was climbing to a 4000 foot summit

- Jeremy -

[MickOpalak]

The entire BRP is beautiful, but its not all the same. The NC portion tends to have higher elevations and is tighter and twistier. All of the tunnels are in the NC portion. The VA portion is more hilly than mountainous and snakes through forests and fields more.

[greenwar]

Thanks for all the posts guys. I will remember to drive safely and not get a ticket. There is only so much you can do with a civic anyway.

I will do some searches, I did some already but didn't get a chance to read them.

[LotusFamily]

Think about coming with us in June (2nd annual "Hethel Takes the Hill"), the area is even more fun with several other owners

Link to event page:
FVMC: 2nd Annual "Hethel takes the Hill" at The Tail of the Dragon (2008)

[greenwar]

Originally Posted by LotusFamily

Think about coming with us in June (2nd annual "Hethel Takes the Hill"), the area is even more fun with several other owners

Link to event page:
FVMC: 2nd Annual "Hethel takes the Hill" at The Tail of the Dragon (2008)

That sounds like a lot of fun. The timing probably wouldn't work out for me though. I will check back when it gets to June if I can somehow get in on it.