Stop 06 of 10  ·  NORTH CAROLINA & VIRGINIA

The Blue Ridge Parkway

A 469-mile ridgeline drive through the Appalachians, built for slow travel and constant overlooks.

The Blue Ridge Parkway isn't a destination so much as a 469-mile experience — a slow, no-billboards, no-commercial-traffic road that follows the crest of the Appalachians from Shenandoah down to the Great Smoky Mountains. There's no better road on this list for simply driving without a hard itinerary: overlooks appear every few miles, and the mountains change character the whole way down. If you know of an RV-friendly stop near Blue Ridge Parkway that isn't listed here, please submit it and we'll get it added to the directory.

🧭 Things to See & Do

🌉 Linn Cove Viaduct

An elegant curved bridge that wraps around Grandfather Mountain — one of the most photographed spots on the Parkway.

🌸 Craggy Gardens

Open, grassy balds near Asheville that bloom with pink rhododendron in June.

🏔️ Peaks of Otter

A Virginia stop with a lake, lodge, and short hikes up Sharp Top for panoramic views.

🎻 Blue Ridge Music Center

A center dedicated to Appalachian music traditions, with free outdoor performances in summer.

🚐 RV Campgrounds & Resources

🏕️ Mount Pisgah Campground

No hookups

NPS campground near Milepost 408, elevation around 5,000 ft with cool nights even in summer.

🏕️ Julian Price Campground

No hookups

Near Blowing Rock, NC, with a lake for canoeing and quiet wooded sites.

🏕️ Otter Creek Campground

No hookups

One of the Virginia section's closest campgrounds to Peaks of Otter.

📘 Good to Know

Planning tip

Several tunnels on the North Carolina section have clearance as low as 10 ft 6 in — check your rig's height before committing to that stretch. Some campgrounds and sections of the Parkway also close in winter.

  • Best season to visit: Late September–October (foliage), May–June

Continue the route to Moab, or head back to see all 10 stops.

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