Blue Ridge Parkway Trail Maps

The Parkway offers over one hundred trails that provide visitors with an intimate, up-close view of the wilderness that surrounds one of the most scenic drives in America. These trails provide dazzling images of captivating vistas, wildflowers on rolling pastures, scenic mountain waterfalls, and serene forests of unimaginable beauty. Trails are suited for all levels of hiking experience and range from leisurely strolls to difficult boulder-filled pathways.

Please note that we currently do not have all Parkway trail maps available on this web site. For a complete list of Parkway trails, you should visit our parkway tour.

Online Blue Ridge Parkway Trail Maps

• Humpback Rocks Trail - Milepost 5.9
  The Humpback Rocks area at the northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway offers a wonderful variety for the serious and casual hiker. Visitors will find both the natural and cultural world of the southern Appalachian mountains opening up before them.
  More Info   |   Download Map
• Otter Creek and James River Trails - Milepost 63.6
  As Otter Creek descends to the James River, the Blue Ridge Parkway dips to its lowest elevation, roughly 650 feet above sea level. This area's abundant water and warmer temperatures support plant and animal communities that are unlike those found at other areas on the Parkway.
  More Info   |   Download Map
• Peaks of Otter Trails - Milepost 86
  Sharp Top Trail, 1.5 miles to the summit, is the most popular trail and originates at the campstore across the Parkway from the Visitor Center. This is a steep and strenuous route and should be attempted only by those in good health.
  More Info   |   Download Map
• Rocky Knob Trails - Milepost 169
  The lush and forested slopes of Rock Castle Gorge suggest that man has been an infrequent visitor here, but that is not the case. A century ago this gorge supported a substantial community of 30 families.
  More Info   |   Download Map

• Doughton Park Trails - Milepost 241
  More than 30 miles of hiking trails meander through Doughton Park's pastures and along its streams. Visitors can stretch their legs on modest strolls or embark on more ambitious, day-long outings.
  More Info   |   Download Map

• Cone Park Carriage Trails - Milepost 294
  The 25 miles of gently sloping carriage roads in Cone Park offer many opportunities for leisurely hiking.
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• Price Park Trails - Milepost 296
  Julian Price Memorial Park comprises 4,200 acres of rolling mountain land with elevations from 3,400 feet to nearly 4,000 feet. Visitors who take to the trails will find scenery and solitude in abundance.
  More Info   |   Download Map
• Tanawha Trail - Milepost 305.5
  The Tanawha Trail, stretching 13.5 miles from Julian Price Park to Beacon Heights, parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway on Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina.
  More Info   |   Download Map
• Linville Falls Trails - Milepost 316.4
  Two main hiking trails lead to beautiful views of the Linville Falls. Both begin at the Linville Falls Visitor Center and pass through remnants of a virgin hemlock forest mixed with other familiar trees such as white pine, oaks, hickory, and birch.
  More Info   |   Download Map
• Crabtree Falls Trail - Milepost 339.5
  The scenic 2.5-mile loop trail to Crabtree Falls is moderate to strenuous. Sturdy shoes or hiking boots are recommended because of the incline and rocky terrain.
  More Info   |   Download Map
• Craggy Gardens Trails - Milepost 364.5
  North of Asheville, North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Parkway passes through the Great Craggy Mountains, and area of exposed rock surfaces and high peaks that provides breathtaking views of distant southern Appalachian ridges.
  More Info   |   Download Map

Commercial Blue Ridge Parkway Trail Maps

BRP Trail Maps

Southern Appalachian Mountains Explorer PC CD-ROM

Shenandoah National Park Map

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Map

Linville Gorge / Mt. Mitchell

Sometimes we can't get everything we want for free . . . and a lot of copyrighted maps can't be placed on our web site for you to download and print. However, the good folks over at the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation's online store have decided to make as many available as possible so that you can better plan your trip and make the best out of your experience.

We personally recommend the National Geographic Trails Illustrated map series of the Blue Ridge Mountains as they provide some of the best topographical information available for trail hiking and planning. These maps are produced on weatherproof paper and are tear-resistant.

The other thing we have found is that they are for more than just the avid Parkway hiker . . . they are for the avid Blue Ridge Mountain hiker also. The maps show most of the trails available on the parkway, but they cover a region skirting the Parkway 30 miles to each side. With this kind of coverage and all the other state and national parks in the Blue Ridge Parkway region, then you can experience a year's worth of hikes in one convenient map. Did we mention there are over 10 in the Blue Ridge series!!!

In 2007, National Geographic really outdid themselves when they launched the Appalachian Mountain Explorer 3D software product. WOW. The CD-ROM contains each of the region's Trails Illustrated maps and more. With it, you can choose which trails you plan to hike and then print out elevation profiles, topo maps, and import GPS coordinates into your hand-held GPS unit. Plus, they even give you a few free sheets of the same weather proof paper that their regular maps are printed on. Why? So you can use them in your inkjet or laser printer.

We might sound like a commercial, but there's no other way for us to express how helpful these maps can be for your Parkway adventure... and that's our mission.

Visit the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation store for a complete list of these National Geographic Trails Illustrated maps.