The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a public footpath across 2,144 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 a popular backpacking trail, but is also used for walks and day hikes.
A quarter of the Appalachian Trail lies in Virginia. Shenandoah National Park has a hundred miles of graded Appalachian Trail, and 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 the Parkway, with several crossings for a short distance in Jefferson National Forest. From here the Trail route crosses west of the Shenandoah Valley.
Appalachian Trail Crossings on the Blue Ridge Parkway by Milepost
In the following table, left (L) and right (R) indicate which side of the Parkway as if you are traveling south.
| Milepost | Location | Parking | Nearby Shelters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | R | Available on site | |
| 2.2 | R | Available along VA Rt 610 | |
| 6 | L, Humpback Gap Parking Area | Available on site | |
| 8.5 | L, Humpback Rocks Picnic Area | Available on site | |
| 9.6 | L, Dripping Rock Parking Area | Available on Site | |
| 13.1 | L, Three Ridges Parking Overlook | Available on Site | |
| 13.7 | L, Reed's Gap | Available along VA Rt 664 | |
| 15.4 | L, Love Gap | No Parking | |
| 16 | L | Available along gravel road | .5 miles to Maupin Field Shelter |
| 34.4 | L, Yankee Horse Parking Area | Available on Site | 3.5 miles south to Wiggins Spring Shelter |
| 51.5 | R | No Parking | .25 miles to Punch Bowl Shelter |
| 71.1 | R, Petite's Gap | Limited parking at USFS Rd #35 | |
| 74.7 | R, Thunder Ridge Overlook | No parking | |
| 74.9 | L | No parking | .6 miles to Thunder Hill Shelter |
| 76.5 | L, Apple Orchard Overlook | Parking on site | Thunder Hill Shelter on site |
| 78.4 | R, Sunset Field Overlook | Parking on site | 2.5 miles to Cornelius Creek Shelter |
| 80.5 | R, Floyd Field | No parking | Cornelius Creek Shelter on site |
| 86 | Peaks of Otter area | No parking | |
| 90.9 | Under the Parkway | Available along Rt 43 (R) and Rt 695 (L) | |
| 92.5 | L, Sharp Top Overlook | Available on site | |
| 93.1 | R, Boblett's Gap | No parking | 0.5 miles north to Boblett's Gap Shelter |
| 95.3 | R, Harvey's Knob Overlook | Available on site | 2 miles north to Boblett's Gap Shelter |
| 95.9 | L, Montvale Overlook | Available on site | |
| 97.0 | L, Taylor's Mountain Overlook | No parking | |
| 97.7 | R, Blackhorse Gap | No parking | 2.7 miles south to Wilson's Creek Shelter |
| 101.5 | R, Curry Gap | No parking |
