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Topic ClosedSkyline Drive & Blue Ridge Parkway

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Olddawgsrule View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Skyline Drive & Blue Ridge Parkway
    Posted: 10 Jul 2021 at 3:32pm
I have driven through the Shenandoah Valley a few times now and say each time I really need to come back just for here! Next month is that time! I'll be coming in from the north and will overnight once in PA before starting the run. We're going to take our sweet time driving through and around the area.

Any POI's you suggest that should not be missed along this? 


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jul 2021 at 3:51pm
We completed the Blue Ridge Parkway in the fall of 2016 in a class B motorhome which was before buying our RPod in 2018.  We went from South to North and had a delightful time, great scenery.  If my memory serves me correctly there are 8 campgrounds within the national park system, all campgrounds had flush toilets, no showers, and no electrical power.  There are many private campgrounds all along the parkway just outside the park limits.  We really enjoyed the trip and the fall colors were in full color at the time.  The other thing that I remembered is the road is very narrow and really winding.  You wouldn't want to pull a real long RV.  Hope this helps.   
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jul 2021 at 7:09am
The Parkway is over 400 miles to do the whole thing, roughly 15 hours of driving. And its a slow winding road but with lots of turnouts and viewpoints, 45 mph tops. The Shenendoah Valley only goes as far south as Roanoke, after that you have higher country and other rive valleys to the west of the Parkway. There are all sorts of attractions on or nearby, including wineries and restauants if you like that sort of thing. If you get tired of the winding way you can always jog over to I81 and shoot up or down and then back over to another section, I don't think there's anywhere the interstate is more than about 30 minutes from the Parkway.

If you want to do more rustic/dispersed camping then the Blue Ridge probably isn't the place. Just west of the Shenandoah Valley/81 you get into the true Appalachians and there are numerous nice undeveloped national forest campgrounds including some dispersed camping. Depends what you want to do and how much time you have.

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Olddawgsrule View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jul 2021 at 7:31am
Southward I routed in Gaia starting in Front Royal and ending in Ravensford  590 miles of Skyline/Blue Ridge Parkway combined. As we turn north again I'l be running through the NF's (Nantahala, Smoky, Jefferson, Washington). The NF's I'm working with my Overlanding forum to work out routing, trying to stay as much off pavement as possible. Would be nice to run the whole of them on dirt!

Mostly looking for POI's along the way that I should not miss.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jul 2021 at 7:51am
Sounds good. For more dirt and less peeps also look further west at Monongahela NF and thereabouts. Getting further west puts you in higher country and further from the big East Coast cities. One place I really like is Dolly Sods Wilderness, nice little NF campground there, lots of hiking in the area. There are several nice dispersed camping areas in the general area around Elkins WV as well, and the altitude is around 3000 ft so it's usually nice and cool. Get paper copies of the NF maps of the area, they are very handy and there is zero cell signal in most of that country. Also WV has some very nice undeveloped state parks worth looking at. One I like is Kumbrabow SP. Plenty of dirt NF roads, but most of there run east west up and down the ridges. To make distance north south you will mostly be on two lanes in the valleys. Depends on how far West you are willing to go on your return leg.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jul 2021 at 7:55am
I will look into this. Thanx.

I just D/L'ed the MABDR to have a look see at what that could bring into the experience 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jul 2021 at 8:33am
You can order the NF paper maps here:

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jul 2021 at 9:01am
Originally posted by offgrid

You can order the NF paper maps here:

usgs

Thanx, yet I'm good! 

I use Gaia and have the latest uses plus MVUM's, Nat Geo, NF Rec, campsites, hiking trails... and it goes on. All downloadable and works off line. I can see others tracks if wanted and there current notes.
Beauty is it's GPS based. 

Yet to have it fail on me! 3 years of travel in all types of terrain.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jul 2021 at 11:21am
Whatever works for you. Call me old fashioned but I still like good ole reliable paper maps. Look for the dispersed camping areas in Monongahela NF, there are several and I've yet to find one I didn't like.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jul 2021 at 1:31pm
Mount Mitchell, highest point east of the Mississippi.

The Cradle of Forestry, the first school of forestry in the United States.  You can take a tour.



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