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Nature’s Showcase: The Blue Ridge Parkway Gives Access To The Area’s Beauty
What is the most-visited area of the National Park System? Yellowstone… the Grand Canyon… Yosemite? The Blue Ridge Parkway has more visitors annually than any of these well-known parks, according to the Blue Ridge Parkway Association. It estimates that the parkway has over 10 million visitors annually traveling over parts of the road that runs from Waynesboro, Va. to Cherokee, N.C.
One might think that the parkway would be bumper-to-bumper. But with the 470 miles of roadway, the Blue Ridge Parkway is able to accommodate all these visitors and still allow one to experience the beauty and, quite often the solitude, of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The parkway was built in sections, with work beginning in 1935 near the border of Virginia and North Carolina. Much of the work was done by workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps, better known as the Depression-era CCC. The final piece of the parkway was finished in 1987 around Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina.
The portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway in and around Rockbridge County, ranging from milepost 28 to the north at Whetstone Ridge through milepost 90 on the southern end at the Peaks of Otter, offer visitors a real microcosm of the entire roadway. This 60-mile stretch runs past gorgeous mountaintop views, mountain meadows, foothills and river crossings. There are waterfalls, walking trails ranging from 20-minute nature walks to places to access the Appalachian Trail, historical recreations and exhibits of mountain culture and industry. This portion of the parkway contains several restaurants – some open seasonally, some year around, prepared camping facilities for tent, trailer and motor home camping, and a mountaintop lodge offering motel-style accommodations. Historic Lexington, Buena Vista and the Natural Bridge of Virginia are all within a 30-minute drive of the parkway.
Let’s begin by driving east on Rt. 56 from Steeles Tavern at the very north end of Rockbridge County. Just south of the Rt. 56 entrance onto the parkway is Whetstone Ridge. There is a restaurant at the overlook there with a gift shop and craft store. The pancakes in maple syrup are a favorite of many regulars. The name Whetstone Ridge comes from the sharpening stones that mountain people got from this area.
At milepost 34, the Yankee Horse Ridge overlook, you can see a piece of reconstructed logging railroad. The trail by the railroad will take you to Wigwam Falls.
Driving south on the parkway will take you past a number of overlooks with views to the east and west of the foothills and mountains flanking the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Beyond the mountains to the west is the southern Shenandoah Valley and to the east, the Piedmont region of Virginia.
At milepost 46, Rt. 60 crosses the parkway. Rt. 60 West will take you down the mountain to Buena Vista and six miles farther to Lexington. South on the parkway from the Rt. 60 crossing, there are several overlooks to the west that offer spectacular views of the valley, Buena Vista, Lexington, and the Allegheny Mountains. These are popular places for picnics.
Soon after, the parkway leaves the crest of the mountains and begins to descend the eastern slopes. Pull-offs in this stretch provide views of the eastern foothills and, lower down, of the streams and woods along Otter Creek as the parkway approaches the James River.
Otter Creek, at milepost 61, offers a restaurant and camping for tents and trailers. The camping area is open from May 1 through October or into November, depending on the weather. Drinking water and restroom facilities are provided, but there are no showers or utility hookups. There is a fee for camping.
A mile south of the Otter Creek area, the parkway crosses Rt. 130. This road will take you west to Glasgow and Buena Vista and east to Lynchburg. A couple of miles south of Otter Creek area is Otter Lake where you can fish. Just beyond the lake is the James River Visitor Center. There is a small exhibit here and a picnic area. You can cross the river on a walking bridge suspended beneath the highway bridge and see a reconstructed canal lock on the south bank. Canals provided transportation from western Virginia to Richmond in the nid-19th century. Long, narrow canal boats were pulled by mules up the James River and its tributaries.
Locks were built to raise and lower the boats around rapids and falls. At the south end of the highway bridge over the river, the parkway crosses Rt. 501. Rt. 510 South goes to Lynchburg and north to Glasgow and Buena Vista. 501 and 130 converge about five miles west of the parkway.
From the James River, the parkway climbs steadily for some 15 miles to the crest of Apple Orchard Mountain. This is the highest point on the parkway in Virginia at 3,950 feet above sea level. There are spectacular overlooks along this part of the parkway. At Petites Gap, milepost 71, there is a road that will take you seven miles west to Cave Mountain Lake, which offers swimming and camping in the Jefferson National Forest
At milepost 84, you arrive at the Peaks of Otter. The area boasts a restaurant and lodge open year-round, and visitor center, picnicking and camping facilities open seasonally. A camp store and gas station is open May through October as is a shuttle bus that takes you most of the way up Sharp Top Mountain. A short walk to the summit will reward you with a spectacular 360 degree view of Central Virginia, the Blue Ridge and the Valley of Virginia.
Five miles south of the Peaks of Otter, Rt. 43 North crosses the parkway, and we end our trek. Rt. 43 takes you down the mountain to Buchanan – take it easy on the brakes, this is a steep road!. At Buchanan, Rt. 11 will bring you back to Lexington via Natural Bridge.
The parkway is open year-round, but portions may be closed in the winter due to ice and snow. The speed limit is 45 miles per hour, so allow extra time when planning a drive. You’ll want to go slow anyway to appreciate all that the parkway has to offer.
In the spring and early summer, the wild flowers and flowering shrubs are season in themselves to take an afternoon drive on the parkway. The redbud is often the first splash of color in the forest in April, followed by the dogwoods. In late May and into June, the mountain laurel and the rhododendron are spectacular in places with their white and pink flowers against the dark foliage. Numerous varieties of wildflowers bloom from April until the first frost in the fall. And in the spring, the light green of the new leaves erupting from the trees provide a soft backdrop to the changing display of floral color.
It is not uncommon to see deer along the roadside, even in daylight. Opossums, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, wild turkeys, and even black bears are native to the mountains, and occasionally show themselves.
For more information on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Lexington and Buena Vista Visitor Centers have brochures and maps available. The Blue Ridge Parkway Association has an excellent website at http://www.blueridgeparkway.org.
Website: http://www.blueridgeparkway.org