Blue Ridge Parkway - Virginia
Built during the Depression, the Blue Ridge Parkway is the nation's longest rural parkway, extending along the crests of the Southern Appalachians and connecting Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. The 217-mile Virginia section of the parkway passes through George Washington National Forest and offers access to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Areas of interest include: Cave Mountain Lake and Sherando Lake recreation areas, which offer opportunities for swimming, boating, camping, and other recreational activities; and Crabtree Falls, which is the largest vertical drop waterfall east of the Mississippi River. The entire Blue Ridge Parkway is 469 miles in length and is designated an "All-American Road."Start and Endpoint: Milepost 0 at Rockfish Gap near Waynesboro, Virginia, is the northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the beginning of the scenic roadway that ends in North Carolina. To the north, the Parkway connects directly to Skyline Drive, which winds 105 miles through Shenandoah National Park. The byway crosses the North Carolina-Virginia state line at milepost 216.9, and extends south to Cherokee, North Carolina, where it ends and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park begins.
For further information, contact: Blue Ridge Parkway
Colonial Parkway
The Colonial Parkway takes in the 174-year period of British colonial history in North America. Beginning at Jamestown, site of the first permanent English settlement in North America, the Parkway leads first to Williamsburg, where America's democratic ideals matured in Virginia's 18th-century capital. The Parkway culminates at Yorktown, where English colonial America came to an end with the defeat of the British army in 1781, securing independence for the United States of America. Along the entire route it offers spectacular views of the James and York rivers, and turnouts offer glimpses of the area's rich natural and cultural history.Start and Endpoint: The 23-mile Colonial Parkway runs from the Jamestown Settlement Visitor Center near the James River to the Visitor Center in Colonial National Historical Park on the York River.
For further information, contact: Colonial National Historical Park
George Washington Memorial Parkway
Designed and managed as a memorial to the first President of the United States, the 25-mile parkway passes monuments and memorials, wildlife preserves and historic homes, waterfalls and scenic overlooks. Points of interest include Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, Fort Hunt, Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve, Arlington House, Arlington National Cemetery, Claude Moore Colonial Farm, Fort Marcy, and Great Falls Park. In addition to its status as an All-American Road, the parkway is also a unit of the National Park System.Start and Endpoint: Starting at the Mount Vernon Estate, byway runs north, passing through the city of Alexendria, to its endpoint just past the Claude Moore Colonial Farm.
For further information, contact: George Washington Memorial Parkway
Skyline Drive
Skyline Drive is an integral element of Shenandoah National Park and is the only public road through the park. Together they were created to to provide outstanding views of the scenic and historic Shenandoah Valley and Piedmont Region of Virginia and to protect the natural and cultural resources of the northern Blue Ridge. Although best known for its vibrant fall foliage, the park is no less spectacular (and a lot less crowded) in the spring when the wildflowers and trees are in full bloom. Portions of Skyline Drive are periodically closed during inclement weather and at night during deer hunting season. Visitors can still enter the park on foot to hike even when the Drive is closed.Start and Endpoint: Beginning near the town of Waynesboro, 105-mile Skyline Drive runs north through Shenandoah National Park and ends in the town of Front Royal. It is located 91 miles from Richmond, VA and 80 miles from Washington, DC.
For further information, contact: Shenandoah National Park