938 Miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway (mostly pics)

That's where we usually put in when canoeing the North fork in the Spring. Behind the building.

Rode to the BPR Last weekend and found it closed due to snow! Seems all the local kids love it for sledding and building snowmen. Always a cool place no matter the activity.

same advice here, started riding w/my daughter when she was 8 locally, long distance when she was 10. She's 15 now and if I go to the Store I still get the "look".

The Parkway is shut down from Wagon Road Gap, southbound to Cherokee. So we did this kind of riding instead.
Last Sunday: 60 degrees, not a breath of wind.
Got a little 30 miler in.

Sweet! I need one of those...

Hey Rog, are you thinking about doing the BRP again? If you did, what would you be sure to include, and what would you do different?

Yes folks, ride the kids around. It will help shape their adulthood views. I used to ride my little daughter on the tank in front of me before she was big enough to ride pillion. She would run out and petition a ride when I'd get home from work. She never piloted that bike, but later went and took the MSF beginner course and got the motorcycle endorsement.

It looks like they do plow some of the Parkway? I wondered about that.

Hey OnandOFF, yes I definately plan on doing it again. It is one of those rides I could take every year and not get tired of. I am not sure if I will make it this year or not.... I would like to take a 2 week tour out wet and ee the national parks ..yellowstone.... glacier etc. If I do that I am not sure I will have enough vacation time for a prkway trip this year. As far as include do you mean stops.. gear? As far a different... I think I would stay in Tellico Plains for a cple more days before turning back north. They have several day rides based out of there and leaving the gear a camp and riding the twisities of the dragon etc would prob be more fun. As mentioned, I have also thought about doing it earlier in the year. Doing it mid October can be iffy weather wise although it seems to work out for me. I just think the fall colors make the ride extra enjoyable.. especially for a photo buff like myself.

Interesting, Rog, I was actually hoping myself to go West this summer, visit some cool places and friends along the way and in CA. If it works out, I'm thinking more like 3 weeks.
Been thinking about doing the BRP / TN thing this Spring. Only been as far south on the BRP as Willville at Meadows of Dan. Might hit the dragon/Cherohala again but there's lots of other roads in the area that I haven't been on. I stay at Hunt's Motorcycle Lodge in Tellico Plains. Nice people and nice atmosphere; owners Jack and Lori are SABMAG friends. Might come back up the mountains on the West side of the valley instead of back up the BRP. I think 3 nights would be the bare minimum out, and probably too tight to really enjoy it. So I'm really just starting to think about how to plan it. I don't know yet how far down the BRP is reasonable to get in a day.

I did it in 3 days going down from PA... sat.. sun.. monday...stayed Monday night at the cherohola motorcycle resort then headed back tuesday morning and actually made it home wednesday night as I recall. How far you make it in a day really depends on how much stopping at vistas you do and also how many times you leave the parkway for food etc. The are some cool things to see off the prkway... this time it was really about the ride and getting to do the complete prkway for me.. I was lucky enough there weren't even any detours.

Makes sense, Rog. I would like to take it at a leisurely pace. By that I don't mean riding slow, that's too hard, I mean being able to stop for whatever looks cool, and have planned cool stuff to check out along the way. It's like someone said, there are no signs along the BRP as to food, gas, lodging, so you've gotta plan out a bit ahead. I'm hoping to have figured out where to get gas, eat, and camp before loading the bike. Then I won't have to worry about figuring that stuff out on the road, just ride and see stuff. So also, where I stay will depend on what's along the way to see and how long it takes to see 'em. Which is why I look to your report and your input about what's a must-see, must-do, optional, or just not worth it. Since I'm about 30min to the parkway, I've got a good half-day lead or more on you coming from there. If I can average 45mph for 8hrs, with no stops, I can be at mile 330 first day. But I don't know what I should see along the way and/or how much time that will take up. What cool things would you do if you could plan in the time to do them?

If you have time.. a side trip to Chimney Rock park.... Natural Bridge...Grandfather mountain... interesting trip up to the mile high bridge...Hopefully some others will chime in with other suggestions. The blue ridge music center is right on the prkwy .. I'd like to check it out if my timing was right. Lynnville falls I haven't explored yet.

Thanks Rog! I will look these up.

Here's a copy of the map I've been working on for my trip this April. Let me know if you can't see all the points and I'll change the permissions.

<small>View </small><small>BRP to Charolotte in a larger map</small>"><iframe marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=215977171883449125044.00049851e8f2d87a6ac30&ll=36.641978,-81.584473&spn=4.230873,7.03125&z=7&output=embed" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" height="480" width="640"></iframe>
<small>View BRP to Charolotte in a larger map</small>

+1 on Hunt's Motorcycle Lodge, Cherohala MC Resort, Pisgah Campground, Willville MC Campground. I've stayed at all those places. Good folks. Up at Natural Bridge check out Foam Henge.Its a full scale replica of Stone Henge!

Al

http://www.blueridgebbqfestival.com/

Very nice, Paul. Thanks for sharing. I was thinking April, too, but now I'm second-guessing myself. Wondering if maybe we should do the Outer Banks trip first, then the BRP when the weather's warmer.

Looks like you're going a little past Willville on the first day. Your second day looks long - what about camping in Doughton Park? That's about halfway...

When you go to Tellico Plns for the night, there's a nice loop you can do that would include the dragon one day and the Cherohala the other. Supposing you did the dragon first, keep going north on 129 until 72, up to 411 for a short jaunt over to 360 which drops south into TP right at the end of the Cherohala. Reverse that path to switch days. And when you're staying in TP, I must reccomend www.huntslodge.com it's great. Have you set your dates for your trip?

I'm headed out around the 8th of April and i have to be in Charlotte on Sunday night. Its a little risky with the weather and that time of year, but that's the only time I'll be able to take the whole weekend. My favorite time on the BRP is late April/early may when the trees are starting to bloom and the traffic is light.

Originally, I was going to just head out after work on Friday, but now I might take the whole day off and try and make it a little farther down then Fancy Gap.

Hunts Lodge sound nice. there are too many options and I know I'm only going to be able to hit the highlights on this trip.

April at OBX is nice too. no crowds yet, but the water is still chilly. Beware of shrinkage :eek1

That's too funny! I'm not going down alone so not too worried about that; if she doesn't like it, she knows how to fix it :eek1 I don't expect to get more than two feet in the water, anyway.

You're right about the weather uncertainties. I pray the weather cooperates with you. It's a pretty durn tight schedule so yeah, taking all Friday sounds like a necessity. And even then, hitting Hunt's for your second night would be a hustle!

I was thinking about taking a spring trip down the prkway, but it looks like the Fed campgrounds won't be open yet.

If you enjoy the twisties there's a really sweet section of them on Hwy 221 between the Grandfather Mtn exit and the Holloway Mtn Rd.

It runs parallel to the BRP, so it isn't out of your way.