A Traveler's Experience

Blue Ridge Parkway - North Carolina (NC)

One of the finest drives in the country, the NC section of the Blue Ridge Parkway starts out in rolling country around the Virginia state line, and becomes wilder as it cuts through the heights around Little Switzerland down to Craggy Gardens. After swooping down to Asheville, it climbs again into the wild, high country leading into the Cherokee reservation near the Great Smokies National Park. The charm of the scenery varies not only with the section of the parkway but with the seasons. In the high sections, fog can often be a problem, but driving through it, if it is not too heavy, is a lovely experience. Travelers should realize that the Parkway is a destination, not a thoroughfare. It is to be slowly savored. It can be at its most beautiful in winter, when hoarfrost blankets the landscape.