Meandering alongside and crossing the scenic motor road, the trails provide a close-up look at some of the most beautiful wilderness in the country. Many trails wind their way through unique biological and geological environments.
Others lead to historic sites with stories of how people have shaped our heritage. Many Parkway trails continue onto Forest Service and private land. Please respect all these lands and treat them with care.
Hiking Tips
Hiking shoes or boots are recommended for most trails, especially the more strenuous ones. Steep and rocky areas and slippery stream crossings require extra attention and careful footing. Even for trails marked "easy," it is advisable to wear flat or rubber-soled shoes for comfort and good traction. Wearing sandals, "flip-flops" or high heels can result in accidents.
Be prepared for weather changes by bringing along suitable clothing. Sudden changes in weather are common to these mountains. Even in mild seasons, rapid dips in temperature and unexpected thunderstorms frequently occur. At higher elevations the wind and temperature can carry a surprising chill.
Stay on established trails for your safety and the protection of resources. Shortcutting at switchbacks causes soil erosion, disfigures the trail and makes it difficult for other hikers to find their way. Take advantage of log walkways, steps or other trail construction. They are there to minimize human impact on the natural environment.
Do not drink the water in streams and springs. Bacterial diseases can be contracted by drinking untreated "wild" waters.
Lock valuables in the trunk of your car or take them with you.
Lost and found articles should be reported to a park ranger
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Blue Ridge Trail Maps
More Blue Ridge Hiking Resources
- Hiking the Carolina Mountains
Danny Bernstein, 2007, 360 pages, paperback. This guide includes 57 day hikes ranging in length from 2 to 13 miles, with destinations the Blue Ridge Parkway's beautiful Craggy Gardens, the ruins of George Vanderbilt's palatial Buck Spring hunting lodge on Mt. Pisgah, and the summit of Cold Mountain. Each entry covers everything you need to know to get out and hike: maps and detailed directions, mileage, elevation gain, trail highlights, fees and hiking regulations, films and novels set in each location, and more.
- Best Easy Day Hikes Great Smokies National Park
This brand new book in FalconGuides’ nationally popular “Best Easy” book series features nearly 30 easy hikes throughout Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
- Hiking & Backpacking: A Complete Guide
Hiking and Backpacking: A Complete Guide presents a balanced introduction to gear and techniques for novice hikers. Even seasoned hikers will find many useful tips and new information in this well-written guide. Smart, instructive, and beautifully designed, every book in the Trailside Guide series contains the essential information readers need to master outdoor activities and have fun in the process.
- Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Kevin Adams, 287 pages. Whether you are a day-tripper or ling-distance hiker, old hand or novice, you'll find trails suited to every ability and interest throughout the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
- Hiking North Carolina's Mountains-to-Sea Trail
by Allen de Hart, 384 pages
- Hiking Shenandoah National Park
Bert and Jane Gildart, 190 pages. Hiking Shenandoah National Park features fifty-nine of Shenandoah's finest trails from short day hikes to overnight adventures. This comprehensive guide provides the information you need to get the most out of hiking Virginia's majestic Shenandoah National Park.
- North Carolina Hiking Trails 4th Edition
Allen de Hart, 624 pages. With more than 1,300 trails covering 3,500 miles, North Carolina is a hiker's paradise, boasting an incredible variety of terrain. This new edition of North Carolina Hiking Trails covers them all, from short family walks along the coast to long-distance treks in the mountains. You'll find coverage of trails along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and in Pisgah National Forest and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, plus trails in national wildlife refuges, state parks and forests, county parks, and much more. Each trail description details distance, difficulty, elevation, connecting trails, landmarks, scenery, and more.
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Appalachian Trail Access
Visit the Appalachian Trail Homepage for more information!
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a public footpath across 2144 miles of Appalachian Mountain ridgelines from Maine to Georgia. From Maine's Katahdin to Georgia's Springer Mountain, this footpath winds through scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian Trail is primarily used for walks and day hikes by all manner of nature enthusiasts from birders to wildflower photographers.
One-fourth of the Appalachian Trail lies in Virginia. Shenandoah National Park has 100 miles of graded Appalachian Trail while The Skyline Drive intersects with it 32 times. The trail continues roughly parallel to but generally many miles removed from the Blue Ridge Parkway. It crosses the Parkway two times in this 70-mile stretch. It is then close to it, with several crossings, for a short distance in Jefferson National Forest. From here the Trail route crosses west of the Shenandoah Valley.
More Appalachian Trail Resources
- The Best of the Appalachian Trail Overnight Hikes
Frank Logue, Victoria Logue & Leonard M. Adkins, 184 pages. The Best of the Appalachian Trail Overnight Hikes, will guide you wisely. Overnight hikes in all fourteen states the Appalachian Trail passes through are described in brief, followed by a point-by-point description of the hike and trailhead directions. This book includes trailhead maps and driving directions that put you on the trail, trail profiles preview each trail's unique flora, fauna and history, Hike difficulty ratings help you choose the right hike, and trail routing changes keep you on track.
Appalachian Trail Access from Blue Ridge Parkway
A number of abbreviations have been used in the following list of Parkway accesses to the Appalachian Trail in order to make the listing as brief as possible.
Parkway Left (PWL) and Parkway Right (PWR) indicates which side of the Parkway as though you are traveling south.
Milepost (MP) mark every mile of the Parkway on PWR
AT is for the Appalachian Trail
USFS stands for United States Forest Service
BRP stands for Blue Ridge Parkway
Parkway Milepost Information Access for AT:
- 0.0 AT access, PWR, parking available
- 2.2 AT crosses BRP, parking along VA Rt 610, PWR
- 6.0 Humpback Gap Parking Area, PWL, AT access
- 8.5 Humpback Rocks Picnic Area, PWL, AT access
- 9.6 Dripping Rock Parking Area, PWL, AT access
- 13.1 Three ridges Parking Overlook, PWL, AT access
- 13.7 Reed's Gap, VA Rt 664, PWL, AT access
- 15.4 Love Gap, PWL, AT access, No Parking
- 16.0 PWL, AT access, parking along gravel road, .5 miles to Maupin Field Shelter
- 34.4 Yankee Horse Parking Area, PWL, AT access; 3.5 miles south to Wiggins Spring Shelter
- 51.5 AT crossing, PWR, .25 miles to Punch Bowl Shelter
- 71.1 Petite's Gap, PWR, USFS Rd #35, AT crossing, limited parking
- 74.7 Thunder Ridge Overlook, PWR, AT access
- 74.9 AT crossing, no parking, .6 miles (left) to Thunder Hill Shelter
- 76.5 Apple Orchard Overlook, PWL, parking allowed, AT crosses at 76.3; Thunder Hill Shelter on trail
- 78.4 Sunset Field Overlook, PWR, 1.1 mile trail to Apple Orchard Falls; 2.5 miles on AT to Cornelius Creek Shelter
- 80.5 Floyd Field, PWR, AT access; Cornelius Creek Shelter, right 300 feet down USFS road
- 86 AT access north of Peaks of Otter area
- 90.9 Parking available along Rt 43 (PWR) and Rt 695 (PWL); AT goes under the Parkway
- 92.5 Sharp Top Overlook, PWL, AT crossing
- 93.1 Boblett's Gap, PWR, follow old roadbed right for 100 yards, left on AT, .5 miles to Boblett's Gap Shelter
- 95.3 Harvey's Knob Overlook, PWR, AT crossing, 2 miles north to Boblett's Gap Shelter
- 95.9 Montvale Overlook, PWL, AT goes through Overlook
- 97.0 Taylor's Mountain Overlook, PWL, AT crossing
- 97.7 Blackhorse Gap, PWR, 2.7 miles south to Wilson's Creek Shelter and 4.9 miles north to Boblett's Gap Shelter
- 101.5 Curry Gap, PWR, USFS Rd 191, 1 mile to AT
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