Motorcycle

Blue Ridge Parkway

469 miles of curves, overlooks and mountain music, with no stoplights and no trucks.

Virginia · North Carolina
755 km
2 min read

Photo: Chrishash1991 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Distance: 755 km · 469 mi
Difficulty: Easy
Time needed: 3–5 days
Best season: May–October (mid-October for fall colors)

Blue Ridge Parkway motorcycle guide: milepost highlights, Mabry Mill, Linn Cove Viaduct, Asheville, fuel, speed limits, closures and fall colors.

The Blue Ridge Parkway connects Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. Built between 1935 and 1987 as a road for pleasure driving, it has gentle sweeping curves, more than 200 overlooks, no billboards and no commercial trucks.

Concrete mileposts count your progress from 0 to 469. Along the way you will find old mills, log cabins, waterfalls, the music of the Blue Ridge and Asheville, a mountain city famous for craft beer and food.

Stops along the way

1

Rockfish Gap (milepost 0)

Milepost 0, where Skyline Drive ends and the parkway begins.
2

Peaks of Otter

A lake below Sharp Top mountain, with a lodge and trails. Milepost 86.
3

Mabry Mill

One of the most photographed spots on the parkway: a 1910 water-powered mill. Milepost 176.
4

Linn Cove Viaduct

A 380-meter viaduct that curves around the slopes of Grandfather Mountain, finished in 1987.
5

Asheville

A lively city near milepost 382: breweries, the Biltmore Estate and mountain music.
6

Cherokee (milepost 469)

Milepost 469, at the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains and the Cherokee Nation.

Good to know

The speed limit is 45 mph (72 km/h) or lower; this road is for enjoying, not racing.
There is no fuel on the parkway itself; fill up in nearby towns.
Some sections were damaged by Hurricane Helene in 2024; check the NPS road-status map.
In October, weekends are busy with leaf-peepers; ride midweek if you can.