Welcome to the Virtual Blue Ridge Parkway library. Use this page to explore our collection of general guidebooks, activity-specific books, nature guides, histories, maps, and more. Learn about the foremost Parkway authors, many of whom live and work in the Blue Ridge Mountains. And when you’re done, visit the Virtual Blue Ridge Bookstore for ordering information on these books and other Parkway products.
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We hope you will enjoy these books and that this information will be useful in planning your trip and adventures along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Blue Ridge Parkway Books
Spanning the border between Virginia and North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Parkway is the most heavily visited unit of the National Park system. These short, easy hikes will entice the more than twenty million annual visitors to stretch their legs and hit the trail. At-a-glance information and maps will help readers determine which hikes are the best for them.
Book Details Buy NowBicycling the Blue Ridge by Elizabeth and Charlie Skinner covers every inch of the 574-mile path between Front Royal, Virginia, and Cherokee, North Carolina. Written with racers, touring cyclists, and recreational cyclists in mind, this new edition continues as the definitive guide to a cyclist’s dream road, offering completely updated information on lodging, bike shops, campgrounds, and more.
Book Details Buy NowThese three maps are an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to drive along the entire Blue Ridge Parkway. Together, the maps cover every section of the Parkway from where it begins at milepost 0 to its end at milepost 469.
Map Details Buy NowGreat Waterfalls of North Carolina is an informative guidebook for locating and photographing 65 waterfalls and cascades in the beautiful Blue Ridge and Great Smoky mountains of North Carolina.
Book Details Buy NowA national treasure that was designed to be enjoyed from the seat of a car, the Blue Ridge Parkway reveals the beauty and splendor of the Blue Ridge Mountains. If you are planning a visit or are already on your way, you’ll want a copy of the Guide to the Blue Ridge Parkway to discover all that the Parkway has to offer.
Book Details Buy NowThis comprehensive guidebook provides a detailed description of every official trail along the Blue Ridge Parkway. But that’s just the beginning
Book Details Buy NowHiking the Blue Ridge Parkway, just released in a newly revised and updated second edition for 2010, is an indispensable resource for anyone who uses the Parkway as a portal to the Southern Appalachian experience.
Book Details Buy NowKaren J. Hall accounts the behind the scenes construction for the Blue Ridge Parkway which began as a dream in the late 1800s and became reality in 1983 when the 469-mile scenic highway was completed.
Book Details Buy NowMotorcyclists who think they have the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia all figured out have another thing coming. In this, his third guide, Hawk Hagebak takes riders from bustling downtown Roanoke, VA to rural Davis, WV and beyond.
Book Details Buy NowNothing could be finer than riding in the North Carolina mountains–and southwest Virginia, and East Tennessee. Hawk Hagebak’s second motorcycle adventure guide takes you 26 incredible rides.
Book Details Buy NowThe motorcycle byways of the southern Appalachians are classic and include some of the region’s most famous rides. Along the way enjoy local eateries and B&Bs, visit motorcycle-only resorts and soak in the world-class scenery.
Book Details Buy NowA series of 6 pocket maps covering the entire Blue Ridge Parkway from start to end with more than 3000 miles of great motorcycle rides described. This series contains all 6 maps which trace the Blue Ridge Parkway from Waynesboro, Virginia to Cherokee, North Carolina.
Map Details Buy NowEach Trails Illustrated map contains detailed topographic information, clearly marked trails, recreational points of interest, and navigational aids. National Park series maps contain useful details for planning your visit. State series titles cover popular recreation areas, ideal for done-in-a-day activities.
Map Details Buy NowThe stunning wildlife along the Blue Ridge Parkway attracts more than 14 million annual visitors from near and far for viewing and photographing opportunities. This information-packed, pocket-size field guide features more than 200 species of mammals, birds, insects, fish, wildflowers, mushrooms and more in a convenient, portable package.
Book Details Buy NowThe most comprehensive guide for the waterfalls of North Carolina. This edition includes over 600 waterfalls with detailed directions and ratings. There are over 100 color photographs and a special section about how to photograph waterfalls in general with specific hints for each individual waterfall. This is a must have for waterfall photographers.
Book Details Buy NowA field guide to common wildflowers of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, including Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Chattahoochee National Forest. Full-color photographs and line drawings will help you identify over 300 common wildflower species.
Book Details Buy NowAnne Mitchell Whisnant reveals what the Parkway’s seemingly unruffled scenery tends to obscure: the road owes its appearance as much to the negotiated resolution of conflicts as it does to the natural features of the mountains or the work of landscape designers.
Book Details Buy NowTim Pegram chronicles his one-of-a-kind backpacking trip along the 469-mile road including his observations and recollections regarding the Blue Ridge Parkway. The book begins with his experience as a summer college intern and continues to cover the twelve years he spent working as a ranger on the Parkway.
Book Details Buy NowGPS coordinates, beauty ratings, full-color photographs, hiking information, trailheads, and more! This new full-color map includes over 300 waterfalls located in Western North Carolina, with detailed descriptions for more than 125 of them.
Map Details Buy NowThe authors draw on the expertise of the park service, chambers of commerce, the forest service, other agencies and organizations, and individuals to compile the comprehensive hiking and waterfall location information available in this easy to use book.
Book Details Buy NowWildflowers of the Appalachian Trail, is a necessary companion for anyone interested in the wildflowers found along the fables 2,175-mile-long Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
Book Details Buy NowUsing full-color photography and expertly crafted prose, Wildflowers of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains turns a day hike or drive through our nation’s most beautiful and rugged expanse of forested mountains into an object lesson in the stunning beauty of nature.
Book Details Buy Now