RoutesBlue Ridge Mountains, Virginia
Blue Ridge Parkway, Northern Section
Long sightlines, steady elevation, and overlooks spaced closely enough that stopping never feels like an interruption.
Field data
- Distance
- 96 mi
- Surface
- Paved
- Character
- Scenic cruise
- Start
- Rockfish Gap
How it drives
A road designed to be looked at rather than attacked. Sweeping radii, generous sightlines, and a 45 mph limit that is enforced and is genuinely the right speed for it. The pleasure is in the pacing and the stopping, not the pace.
Seasonal considerations
Sections close for ice and weather between roughly November and March; check the Park Service before committing to a date. Autumn colour brings the heaviest traffic of the year. Go early on a weekday or accept the queue at every overlook.
Starting point and stops
Suggested start
Rockfish Gap
38.0334, -78.8586
Northern terminus
Suggested stop
Humpback Rocks
37.9631, -78.8967
Suggested stop
Whetstone Ridge
37.7778, -79.1667
Suggested stop
Otter Creek
37.5589, -79.3439
Lowest point on the parkway
Coordinates are approximate and unverified. Check them against a mapping source before relying on them.
A note on driving these roads
These are public roads. People live on them, work on them, cycle them, and walk their dogs along them. The pace that makes a road enjoyable is almost never the fastest one available.
Drive within the limit and within the conditions, leave room, use the pull-offs to let faster traffic past, and keep the noise down early and late. The residents of a good road hear every car that uses it. Nothing published here is an invitation to race.
Community notes
No notes on this road yet. If you have driven it and something is worth passing on (a closure, a stop, a stretch to treat carefully), send it in.
Saved in this browser only.
Printing this page produces a one-page field summary: data, waypoints, and conditions only.