Blue ridge parkway

Was wondering after watching a show on discovery channel on mountain roads that were built in some pretty crazy places. one that caught my eye was the blue ridge parkway and how it forms to the hills, seems from what I saw was a pretty nice wondering hiway of sorts. Anyone here ever been one it? How is it?

 

If you enjoy long stretches of leisurely riding and scenery, The Blueridge Parkway is for you. If you get bored easily by pretty much the same thing for extended periods of time, only take the Blueridge/Skyline Drive for short stints.

I've been on it three times actually. Two times on two different occasions heading south a couple years ago and one time heading north this past October. If you're going to choose between the Blueridge and Skyline Drive, I'd definitely pick the Blueridge. If you pick your time of day based on shift changes in the park rangers and/or popo schedule, you can whip it up a little when traffic permits. I was riding south on my old Blackbird in August of '06 around 5:30 in the afternoon when the Blueridge was completely empty. It was one of those rides that I'll always remember. I was of course riding much faster than I should have but the sun was right, the road was right, the scenery was right and the tunes were right...perfect recipe!

Here is an image of what you'll see a lot of:



I had to stop for a mileage milestone also:



You really should obey the speed limits and take it easy however I got into a groove and next thing you know my knees were on the ground! I'm lucky I didn't get into trouble but I sure have a great memory of that day.

One awesome benefit is if you exit the Blueridge, the ride back down the mountainside has awesome, long sweepers that change things up if you get bored (I do). You can then re-enter the parkway whenever you feel like it. I can only handle the parkway(s) so much at a time for fear of tickets, often times VERY slow car and camper traffic and also the monotony of it all. Don't get me wrong, I'll be on it again this riding season but for my tastes, it gets old quick especially on a sport bike.

Here's some more photos from this past year on the VFR. These photos were taken on points further south on the Blueridge:









Overall I'd encourage anyone to give it a try. Virginia and West Virginia are absolute riding heaven. You can't go wrong.

Also, if anyone needs input on roads in Virgina and West Virginia, I've covered a decent amount of miles in the past two years. Be glad to offer some advice.

 

I've been on it from Asheville, NC to Fancy Gap, VA. I've got a number of photos on This Page (scroll down to Monday, July 2, 2007).

It is a great ride although the speed limit is 45mph. The days I was there it was very foggy in the mornings (more like riding in clouds) and coming into left-handers knowing there isn't much out there but a looooong drop is somewhat eerie

Beautiful scenery for the east side of the country, and it was a great couple of days. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

 

Nice stuff Craig! I'll have to visit the Mabry Mill next time I'm down there. You like mills? Get yourself to Babcock State Park in WV...awesome mill there!

 

I've driven it from Front Royal, VA all the way to Cherokee, NC. Twice. The southern end is more twistyer than the northern part but I like the whole thing. The Skyline Drive in VA has a 35 MPH limit and is enforced so I really can't recommend that part. The BRPW has a 45 & has very limited enforcement. I got pulled over for 70 in a 45 and was let off with out even so much as a warning. The officer & myself chatted about this & that & he told me to "have fun but be carefull".

I love the BRPW & will definitely be back many more times.

KC-10 FE out...
lane:

 

Speed limit is nutty slow, but the roads have some nice views. Skyline drive has some nice hikes off the road, but that's tough if you can't lock your stuff while you're gone. 2nd 2-fer's up & down the mountain.

 

I just like to RIDE :biggrin: I need some sort of ethereal destination though. It can be as simple as a Starbucks in another city for a cup of coffee (did that a couple of times), or just a city in general (did that MANY times!), but I like to head "Somewhere". Mills are cool and that sounds as good a target as anything else. May have to head up that way.

Mabry Mill is a nice place and like most places on the BRP it is very well maintained. When I stopped there I had passed it heading north to Rocky Knob and stopped coming back south. I was virtually on fumes and really hoping there was a gas station not too far away or I was going to regret the distance across that parking lot There was, no problems. The V-Strom gets great gas mileage.

 

How does it compare to the Cherohala Skyway (besides length)?

 

I used to do several sections near Blowing Rock, NC in my Porsche 928. Depending on the time of week and time of year that you go you will not have traffic problems.

Eventually, when I learn how to ride well and am used to my new motorcycle, I will take it there, as well.

 

Very similar in places as I recall. Both go over mountains and the curves are about the same, pretty much one right after another. I can't recall what the speed limit was on the Cherohala though.

 

The Blue Ridge is a lot busier that the Cherohala, and the speed limit is the same....45 mph. All National Park Service roads seem to be 45 MPH. The Blue Ridge is enforced, but it's inconsistant; one day you'll see no LEOS, and the next, there'll be one every couple of miles. It's great if you like scenery.

It's not as much fun as the Dragon......


Lane

 

Well, it's almost in my backyard, and I usually avoid it.
I consider the Parkway around Blowing Rock, and Grandfather one of the most dangerous places I know of to ride. When the tourons are thick, it's plain scary. If you look into the cages as they go by, they are bickering amongst each other, or letting their minds wander over a cliff. Very few are driving.
There are overlooks for sight seers, I presume so they can stop and wait for a motorcycle to pull dead out in front of.
I'd rather ride Hwy 221 between Blowing Rock and Linville, 147 curves in thirteen miles, it's not the Dragon, but has some sick stuff.

Mac

 

What I usually did in the car was one stretch of the parkway and then the rest on the other roads, like 221 and so forth. I guess I should have been more specific.

 

The Cherohala doesn't have a "posted" speed limit however it has an assumed limit of 55-60 if I remember correctly. I read this on one of the Tennessee tourism sites.

I personally can't compare the Cherohala to the Blueridge. The Cherohala is my personal favorite of the big name roads. The sweepers are huge and there are several other places where you can't see completely through the turn. Really fun road to ride! I'm hoping to head back in early April again this year.

I have a real short clip from the Cherohala while on my Blackbird last year. The sound was out, sorry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn-ceZ0dvkg

 

The speed limit is 45. Trust me on this.


Lane

 

When it comes to pure riding, the Cherohala Skyway is hard to beat. For lack of better words, I get lost in the moment whenever I ride the Skyway. There are several times I found I was just about doubling the limit. This wasn't an attempt to simply go fast, the road was tempting me to give it my best shot and I sure as hell tried.

The speed limit on the Cherohala is 45 in NC & 35 in TN. You really, I mean REALLY, need to be trying to get nailed on the Skyway. The reason being is there are only 3 ways to get off the Cherohala once you get on it & if memory serves, all 3 are maintenance access roads for the Forestry Service. The cops don't want the headache of driving for 35 miles & then turning around for another 35 miles just to get into the middle of nowhere. If someone has actually received a ticket on the Skyway, I would love to hear about it. On both WWW.DEALSGAP.COM & WWW.TAILOFTHEDRAGON.COM there are several times the mods of those websites say there is little to no LE on the Skyway but the Dragon is crawling with LE at the freaking time.

My wife is about the safest rider I know & even she says the Skyway speed limit should be raised to 50. An average rider can maintain around 55-60 quite easily.

KC-10 FE out...
lane:

 

Looks like none of us is 100% correct? Ron and Nancy sure know the situation since their rental properties start at the base of the Cherohala.

From Tailofthedragon.com

SPEED LIMITS ON THE CHEROHALA - We have checked with two different sources on the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
One source who patrols the Cherohala area regularly says the speed limit is 30 mph the entire way from Tellico Plains to the North Carolina State Line. But it is only posted with two signs in those 21 miles. One is near the Tellico Plains City limits and another about mid-way up the Cherohala at the Indian Boundary turn-off. NOTE: We do not have information on how close speed limit signs have to be to establish a speed limit on any section of roadway. Please let us know if you have this information.

The other HP source, when I tell him the signage situation, says that the speed limit is 65 unless posted with more signs at regular intervals. Note: The Tennessee speed limit laws state that the maximum speed limit on all “Other Roads” is 65 mph unless posted otherwise.


Here are some things to say if you get pulled over for speeding on the Tennessee side of the Cherohala:


1. Mention the signs for 30 mph and say that you thought Tennessee law was that the speed limit was 65 unless otherwise posted. You thought the 30 mph signs were just slowing traffic for Tellico and Indian Boundary intersection.


2. At the State Line there is a REDUCE SPEED AHEAD sign as you enter North Carolina where the speed limit is posted 45.


3. There are curve signs on the Tennessee side with recommended speeds of 35 mph. Surely the state would not post a higher speed limit on the curve warning signs.


In reality no-one is really sure of the speed limit. We have never seen it strictly enforced on the Tennessee side, but we have heard of tickets being issued. We regularly travel at 55-65 mph as does most of the car and cycle traffic.


The North Carolina side is posted as 45 mph. It is sometimes enforced, especially on week-ends and holiday periods. The helicopter enforcement no longer exists, but you will find radar by NCHP and Graham County Sheriff deputies.​

All I know is, when I'm on that road I've never had a fear of speeding nor have I ever seen any enforcement. The Cherohala is too awesome to spend time worrying about speeding and cops, you just take it all in and enjoy the ride. I'll pay to play if I have to :biggrin:

 

I did the whole Blueridge back in 1982. Sounds like back then the traffic was a lot better. 25 years later and I still remember that road as one of the top 10 I have riden. I went though in late September so traffic probably wasn't as bad as it is in the height of summer.