Blue Ridge ParkwayWe are at the end of August which means, fall is just waiting around the corner to approach us. I wanted to write this post early on just so it allows ample time for all of you to plan and make this wonderful vacation yours. If you are one of those people who tries to go on fall hunting every year like I do and wondering where to go this year, here is a perfect route for you.
Most of us Michiganders simply go up north to catch a glimpse of the spectacular color show nature puts us through, every fall season. While Michigan has undoubtedly one of the best fall colors, breathtaking fall scenery drapes several other states as well. My particular interest with this post is with Blue Ridge Parkway, which spans for 469 miles across North Carolina and Virginia, and is a lovely vacation destination, rather a route.
A picture shot at the entrance to the parkway.
Blue Ridge Parkway runs from Shenandoah National Park's skyline drive in Virginia and ends near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Cherokee, North Carolina. From your home in Michigan or anywhere, you either drive or fly into Virginia. We drove as we wanted this to be a complete road trip.
The parkway goes from 650 to 6000 feet in elevation and the
mileposts along the parkway start at zero at the northeast
end in Virginia and count to 469 at the southern end in North Carolina. There is no fee to using the parkway, just pure fun and lots of driving ofcourse. The speed limit is never more than 45 mph so, if you are one of those who gets impatient on road, this is not for you. This is a leisure road trip and offers many scenic spots with breathtaking views of various hues all around the mountains. The entire parkway has many pull overs for you to stop by and take pictures.
This picture is taken at an elevation of 3500 feet along Blue Ridge Parkway.
Since the elevation varies so much, the color saturation varies a lot too. You might find peak color at one elevation and other elevation might be completely dried out. We drove in the first week of November (Nov 1st through 4th, 2005) and found that anything above 2000 ft elevation was all past peak. Do not make that mistake of going so late. Plan your trip at the end of september or early to mid October for a mixed color show throughout the parkway.
Enroute, there is Linville falls which are located at Mile Post 316.3 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, north of where US 221 crosses the Parkway and south of where NC 181 crosses the Parkway. Be sure to stop by Linville falls and capture the scenic beauty and rustling waters.
Pictures taken with fall color reflection on the flowing water at Linville falls.
Be sure to stop by at Asheville. A very romantic place for you to rest at so as to ease those driving muscles. Asheville is a lovely city to stop by the night and spend a saturday watching Chimney rock, Biltmore estates, Blue Ridge Mountains and more. The colors in the parkway close to Asheville were something I never saw before. There were roads and roads of color burst, perfect for a saturday drive. The pictures below were shot on Blue Ridge Parkway, at about 10 - 15 miles close to Ashville. Second picture shot at an elevation during sunset.
Last but not the least, The great smoky mountains which everyone raves about, offers plenty of colors and lovely waterfronts thoughout the park. Be sure to stop by Cherokee, an Indian village.
Picture shot at a restaurent in Cherokee. The violet beans really caught my eye.
Happy fall color hunting and be sure to let me know if, you made it to the trip and your personal experience.
Labels: Blue_Ridge_Parkway, Fall_colors_mi, snazzy
