Moon Blue Ridge Parkway Road Trip ─ Including Shenandoah & Great Smoky Mountains National Parks

This full-color guide to road tripping along the Blue Ridge Parkway includes vibrant photos and helpful planning maps.

The Blue Ridge Parkway through Virginia and North Carolina draws visitors from all over the world, taking them from the majesty of the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina to the splendor of Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and offering stunning vistas, excellent hiking, and charming communities between. Experience them all with Moon Blue Ridge Parkway Road Trip as your guide.

Detailed driving instructions tell you how far you’ll have to drive, how long it will take, and which highways you’ll need to follow?including information on alternate routes and the best places to stop along the way.

Day-by-day itinerary suggestions tell you the best ways to spend your time:

The 10-Day Blue Ridge Parkway Road Trip
A Day in Shenandoah National Park
A Day in Stone Mountain State Park
A Day in Blowing Rock, NC
A Day in Asheville, NC
A Day in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Though Jason Frye calls the coast of North Carolina home, his heart is with the mountains. Born and raised in the rugged Appalachian foothills in southern West Virginia, he developed an affinity for hiking and exploring the woods, coves, and hollows of the hills. His family vacationed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, deepening his love for this landscape with each visit.

Jason first encountered the Blue Ridge Parkway on a dark night, en route to the beach, when his family briefly followed this two-lane ribbon of highway across the Virginia mountains. Though the detour onto the Parkway lasted less than an hour, he knew he wanted to explore it further. In his 20s, he followed the Blue Ridge Parkway through Virginia, even continuing onto Skyline Drive for anX-Files-inspired road trip. When he moved to North Carolina, he discovered the beauty of the southern end of this drive. To this day, he takes the Blue Ridge Parkway any time he gets the chance.

Jason is the author of two Moon guidebooksMoon North Carolina and Moon North Carolina Coast. He also contributes toSalt magazine, AAA Go!, Our State and Our State Eats food blog, the WilmingtonStarNewswhere he is a features contributor and dining criticthe Raleigh News and Observer, theCharlotte Observer, the blog of Virgin Atlantic Airlines, and a number of other print and online publications.