Blue Ridge Parkway

Become a Blue Ridge Parkway Junior Ranger

Becoming a Blue Ridge Parkway Junior Ranger is exciting and rewarding! Pick up your Junior Ranger Folder and instructions at any park visitor center. Then travel the parkway to get site-specific activity sheets along your journey.

Bicycle the Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway offers 469 miles of picturesque road cycling though the Virginia and North Carolina mountains.

Enjoy Sunrise at the Afton Overlook

The Afton Overlook provides an excellent introduction to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The view is spectacular at any time, but the colorful skies produced at sunrise can be truly breathtaking. And remember: No two sunrises are the same. So if you can, plan a few return visits to this unique overlook.

Explore the Middle Prong Wilderness

Want to take a walk on the wild side? Try a hike in the Middle Prong Wilderness! Adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway, this wilderness area protects a beautiful forest and has ample opportunities for solitude.

Go Fishing in the Mountains

A mountaintop park may seem an unlikely place to fish, but just the opposite is true. The parkway protects over 100 miles of streams, many of them small, spring-fed watercourses that rise along the spine of the Blue Ridge. In addition, there are13 artificial lakes along the parkway.

Hawk Watch at Harveys Knob

Every autumn, thousands of raptors ride the thermal updrafts of the Blue Ridge Mountains on their way to wintering grounds. You can watch the graceful flights of these soaring birds from Harveys Knob Overlook.

Hike the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center Loop Trail

The Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center Loop Trail is a short, easy hike that is popular with all ages. Locals and visitors alike enjoy this leg stretcher trail and its close proximity to Asheville.

Hike the Devils Courthouse Trail

Make the steep 0.5 mile climb to the top of Devils Courthouse for one of the most fantastic views on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Enjoy breath-taking, panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and the valley below from one of the most unique vantage points on the Parkway.

Hike the Gully Creek Trail Loop

While this hike is challenging, the trek is very rewarding for the seasoned hiker. The small cascades are pure magic!

Hike the High Meadow Trail at the Blue Ridge Music Center

A hike on the family-friendly High Meadows Trail leads up and down rolling grassy meadows and through a mix of deciduous and evergreen forests. Pick up some Kids In Park TRACK Trail brochures at the trailhead to add adventure to your kid's hike. The trail provides a quiet retreat with limited interaction with other visitors, regardless of the season.

Hike the Roanoke River Trail

The ideal hike for someone who likes water, bridges, woods—and doesn’t feel like committing an entire afternoon to a hike. Roanoke River Trail is an an easy trail that covers less than a mile. It makes a perfect leg stretcher hike as you pass through Roanoke.

Hike to Rattlesnake Lodge

Step back in time with a hike to historic Rattlesnake Lodge. This enjoyable hike through shaded woodlands is close to Asheville and takes you to the remains of an early1900’s mountain retreat.

Look for Migrating Monarch Butterflies

Among the fall wildflowers, and drifting on invisible wind currents high above you, look for the jewel tones of monarch butterflies as the insects pass through the parkway's high elevations on their seasonal migration.

Mahogany Rock Overlook

Visit the Mahogany Rock Overlook for soaring views of Buck Mountain, Doughton Mountain, and Cheek Mountain among others. In the fall visitors are treated to spectacular views of migrating raptors.

OVVI Junior Ranger

Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail Junior Ranger booklet and directions.

Save A Bear's Life

Your actions while visiting the parkway can have a direct and lasting impact on a black bear. Discover how YOU can save a bear's life!

See the Rhododendrons Bloom at Craggy Gardens

Colorful rhododendron blossoms put on a show each summer along the Blue Ridge Parkway and one of the best places to see these high-elevation flowers is at Craggy Gardens.

Spend the Night in the Mount Pisgah Campground

The Mount Pisgah Campground is a cool, high elevation retreat in the summer's heat. This peaceful and relaxing spot is the perfect place to stay and explore the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Spot an Elk on the Heintooga Spur Road

Heintooga Ridge Road on the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway is a good place to spot elk.

Stargaze at Waterrock Knob

Stargazing on the Blue Ridge Parkway can be an amazing experience. Waterrock Knob at Milepost 451.2 is a great place to enjoy the calm quiet of the night and contemplate the universe as you gaze at the starry sky that surrounds you.

Visit Adney Gap

Take a scenic drive through Adney Gap around milepost 136 and experience one of the many mountain gaps that provided an important early tool in traversing the surrounding hills and mountains. 

Visit Tuggle Gap

Take a scenic drive through Tuggle Gap to experience one of the gaps which provided early travelers passage through the mountains.

Watch for Hawks at the Mills River Overlook

The raptors are coming! And they’ve got the “kettle” on!

Watch Peregrine Falcons at Devils Courthouse

Peregrine falcon, once near extinction, now can be viewed in the skies over the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Watch the Sunrise at Pine Tree Overlook

There are many places to view a sunrise along the Blue Ridge Parkway, but the sun rising over the Peaks of Otter at Pine Tree Overlook is a stand out favorite on the northern end of the parkway.

Watch the Sunrise from Pounding Mill Overlook

Sunrise on the Blue Ridge Parkway can be an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Pounding Mill Overlook at Milepost 413 is a great place to welcome the dawn of a new day and appreciate the natural beauty of this special place.