Blue Ridge Parkway - North Carolina
Blue Ridge Parkway - North Carolina
Asheville, NC 28803
Phone:828-271-4779
Web: www.nps.gov/blri/ Description:Built during the Depression, the Blue Ridge Parkway is the nation'slongest rural parkway, extendingalong the crests of the Southern Appalachians and connecting Shenandoah National Park in Virginiawith the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. The North Carolina section of the parkway runs through Pisgah National Forest, passing close to 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi River. Other areas of interest include: the Cradle of Forestry inAmerica, an information and discovery center dedicated to thebeginning of forestry in the United States; Linville Caverns, which offers opportunities for caving on Humpback Mountain; Doughton Park, one of the best places along the parkway for viewing wildlife; and the Biltmore Estate in Asheville.
Legth: 252 miles (North Carolina section); 469 miles (entire parkway). Start/Endpoint: The North Carolina section of the parkway begins at the Virginia state line at milepost216.9, and extends south to Cherokee, North Carolina, where itends at milepost 469 and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park begins. It intersects with the city of Asheville just after milepost 380 at I-40. Time to Allow: 8 hours (North Carolina section); 14 hours (entire parkway). Designation/Year: All-American Road (1996).
See other parks in North Carolina.