A Blue Ridge Parkway PhotoJournal

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Last week was vacation time as my husband and I took the week off to explore the Blue Ridge Parkway. Several years ago we'd driven just a little bit of the northern end of it and it's been a road trip idea we've had in our back pocket ever since. So we finally got it done! We had five days on our own, and no itinerary other than: Get on the Parkway at the north end and drive down to the south end, and then go back home. 

We made sure to stop at the first Visitor Center, Humpback Rocks, and had a look around at the farm there.

Ah yes, the views! This is what we came for. I have an awful lot of photos very similar to this one.

A rare selfie of the two of us:

We took a little side trip off the Parkway to see Crabtree Falls near Montebello, Virginia. 

Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of this spot where we stopped later on! Perhaps it was Otter Creek or somewhere around there. Anyway, there was a small reservoir and a very pretty dam.

We encountered a lot of clouds and fog on our second and third days, with views ranging from mountains shrouded in clouds and mist, to just . . . fog. 

It was great to see Mabry Mill, which is a really picturesque spot. If it looks familiar, apparently it's one of the most photographed spots along the Parkway, and is featured on calendars and postcards and more. Even from other states besides Virginia!

More scenic spots:

Another hike took us to another set of falls. There is another Crabtree Falls in North Carolina, and I think this might be it. It all runs together after awhile!

Here are views from near the Cone & Price Memorial Parks, and the Mt. Pisgah area.

Near the southern end of the Parkway is a Visitor Center at Waterrock Knob. We drove up to the Visitor Center and had a look around, and decided that the 0.5 mile hike up to the top looked quite doable, and the weather was fairly nice. So off we went. There's an overlook at 0.2 miles. To that point the trail was mostly paved, although very steep. From the overlook we could see the Parkway winding to the south.

We carried on, and let me tell you . . . the remaining 0.3 miles of that hike was a whole lot more difficult than the innocuous sign at the bottom had led me to believe! It was steep and uneven and rough, and it felt like the longest half mile ever! And me with my bad knees and arthritis . . . ugh. Thankfully I had those trekking sticks I purchased awhile ago. I guarantee I wouldn't have done it without those to help. 

When we finally reached the summit, we did have a great view. That's the parking lot way down below, and some clouds rolling in too. 

Some fellow adventurers were kind enough to take our photo so we could prove we'd made it!

We'd barely started on the trek down when the fine drizzle and occasional raindrops started, and most of the hike down was done in fog. Or clouds, I guess. 

0.5 mile trail gaining about 500 feet elevation if memory serves. The parking lot is at 5712 feet elevation.

At the bottom, this paved trail gives you little indication of what you're actually signing up for if you think you're going to walk all the way up!

We carried on driving south on the Parkway and the blue skies did try to peek through the clouds.

We decided to carry on heading westward through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. When we reached the visitor center, we were surprised to find an elk meadow complete with elk!

Our last night was spent in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and after a hearty breakfast at - where else? - Crockett's Breakfast Camp, we headed back home.

I got the mug that states that we drove the entire Blue Ridge Parkway. With the exception of a few places where the Parkway was closed due to repairs and to trees downed by the storm, we did indeed drive the entire Parkway. 

And so back home, to plan our next adventure!

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