Blue Ridge Parkway / Skyline Drive

[towering]

The Blue Ridge Parkway and the Skyline Drive is about 565 miles together. Im planning on Making it a part of my vacation this year. How long Has it taken to ride the full length.

[Cajunrider]

I don't know towering but it sounds like a great ride.

[Todd]

Speed limit on the Parkway is 45 and Skyline is 35....so lets say you average 45.....thats 12 1/2 hours if you didnt stop and it was a straight road. I would figure. minimum, 2 days up on the Parkway and 2 days up on Skyline. That will give you time to stop at all the overlooks, various centers along the way..shops, restaurants, off the Parkways side trips, etc. That would be the very minimum in my opinion. You could probably use 3 on each. Then of course, you need to figure your time to get back.

[towering]

Thanks Todd

[Top Cat]

Wow, I had no idea it was that slow of a speed limit on the Parkway.
Cindy and I are taking a week long trip on our bikes this summer. The Parkway is part of it. I have the whole trip figured for 3,000 miles.
Checking further I guess we will need 11 days at least to complete this trip as planed.
I read somewhere to figure 250 miles a day if you want to sightsee.
How many miles a day do you guys cover on a casual sight seeing trip?

[chainsaw]

I've made that trip and Todd is right on. He did not mention that there are a few tunnels, many very slow motorhomes and not many places to pass. You get behind a motorhome and your kind of stuck there. Great ride though, you just have to be patient and really not in a hurry.

[watchman]

Liz and I rode the Parkway and Skyline drive 2 summers ago and we took 2 1/2 days. We did stop a lot and never got in a hurry. We did loose about 2 hours waiting for a rain storm to pass.

[bikerdad]

My wife and I rode Skyline Drive from Front Royal to Waynesboro last summer in 1 day. It is only a little over 100 miles. This is a great place to ride if you have a day to do it. We both say that we would like to do it again.

[mako]

The BRP is closed around Mt Mitchell, supposed to reopen this spring but I don't know the date.

[radco]

Originally Posted by towering

The Blue Ridge Parkway and the Skyline Drive is about 565 miles together. Im planning on Making it a part of my vacation this year. How long Has it taken to ride the full length.

A good place to stay is www.naturalbridgeva.com
They have basic cabins, or the Hotel.. I m there every June........Great roads...Killer views,, cannt beat the BRP............Rich

[kpmhspirit]

Originally Posted by "CHAINSAW"

I've made that trip and Todd is right on. He did not mention that there are a few tunnels, many very slow motorhomes and not many places to pass. You get behind a motorhome and your kind of stuck there. Great ride though, you just have to be patient and really not in a hurry.

A buddy and I rode both in their entirety about 5 years ago the last two days in August and first couple of days of September. By sheer dumb luck we picked the best time to ride it. A ranger told us that this was the best time as school had restarted and it was the lull before the leaves turn and the "leaf-peepers" come out again in late September/October. The weather was still warm though we had a little rain. We also had no problem getting a room without reservations at the only lodge on Skyline and one on the BRP. It seems there is a dead period in the traffic just before Labor Day. We had very little traffic and no Winnebagos!

Pete

[nomad561]

We did the Skyline Drive (106 miles) and BRP (469 miles) then rode the Dragon for a total of about 1400 miles in 4 days,but that was pushing it. We didn't stop much to look around. It was more to see if we could do it in that time frame. There isn't anywhere for gas on the parkway so you will have to plan for side trips to get fuel.Stop at a ranger station or other attraction and get a parkway booklet which shows where the stops are for gas and lodging.
Great trip,but as stated before, the parkway is closed through this sprng for a rock slide. Check the website for updates.

[michiganmike]

Have done both several times, but by car. Just know that the one time we did the skyline drive at dusk and into early night there were dozens of deer in the road and it was very nerve racking. Be careful if you are riding when the deer are out and about.
We generally plan on 3 to 4 days to do the trip, but we stop and visit the small stops along the way and hike some of the trails. It is a great trip, enjoy!

[nomad561]

I will agree,be very careful while riding and keep a lookout for wildlife. The deer are plentiful(especially after dark) and the last time I was on Skyline Dr,I almost hit 2 black bears that ran out in front of me.

[nighthawk700]

I did it in two days, starting from Cherokee, NC, and ending at the beginning of Skyline Drive in VA (forgot the town's name). I went to a motorcycle only campground in the middle, Rider's Roost. Was a nice trip.