Richland Balsam Overlook (Day 8, Milepost 431) is the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I met a guy from Texas here that had just started in Cherokee (MP 469) and was biking the entire parkway going north (I was going south).
Grandview Overlook. There are so many beautiful overlooks (over 200) on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I stopped at most of them (especially when going uphill since I needed a break from the climbing)!
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a wonderful place to bicycle (once you get in shape to make the killer climbs). There isn’t much traffic and no commercial vehicles are allowed. The views are stunning.
Grandfather Mountain. I love this
billboard! It
announced the turnoff for Grandfather Mountain, which towers over the
surrounding area at 1 mile (5280 ft) in elevation.
The mountain is privately owned and it costs $12.00 per
person to
go to the top. It features a mile-high
pedestrian suspension bridge, restaurant, visitor center, and animal
exhibits featuring several black bears. No cyclists or hikers are
allowed on the 2-mile access road (which is
extremely steep and has no shoulders) so I had to catch a ride to the
top.
Suspension Bridge. The mile-high
suspension bridge on Grandfather Mountain
offers an
incredible 360 degree view of the surrounding area.
Winds on Grandfather Mountain have been measured at over
100
mph. It was a bit cold and windy on the
day that I visited and I wished that I hadn't left my jacket on my bike
at the base of the mountain.
Spiral Curves. I like these signs! The
downhills on the Blue Ridge Parkway are thrilling on a bicycle. I often reached 35-40 mph on the downhills
and had to sometimes be careful on winding stretches.
I hit one stretch that had 6 of these “spiral curve” signs
and I
had to brake a lot for the “Max Speed 20 mph” signs.
My longest downhill was a 20-mile coast from Mt. Mitchell
to
Asheville, NC, that lasted for about 45 minutes. What
a ride! (Of course,
it took me 4 ½ hours to climb Mt. Mitchell to earn the 45 minute
downhill
ride.)
Linn Cove Viaduct. The Linn Cove Viaduct is an engineering marvel. It was added to the parkway in 1987 and goes around Grandfather Mountain. It rests on several piers and is in partial suspension, allowing the 153 sections of the bridge to be added one at a time (extending out into space) until they reached the next pier. The sections were held together with cables and epoxy. A great visitor center nearby has models showing the bridge under construction.
Craggy Gardens. I was relieved to make
it to Craggy Gardens at the top of
Mt. Mitchell
in NC. It took me 4 ½ hours to make
the
difficult 25 mile climb. There is a
tunnel just above my head in the picture that I had just ridden through. I was surprised by how scary the tunnels
are! They have no lighting and you
can’t see anything when you first enter them! I
had rear flashing lights and finally rigged my
flashlight to shine at
the line on the side of the road so that I could see where I was going
in the
tunnels. I'll bring a front light next time!
Cherokee, NC. I completed the Blue
Ridge Parkway after 8 days and
stopped in Cherokee,
NC. I still had two more days to get to
Gatlinburg, TN, and Knoxville, TN. It
was sad to see the parkway end. I stayed in the River Valley
Campground in NC (about 2.5 miles down Big Cove Road that intersects
441 in Cherokee across from Hardees). The campground is along a
beautiful, rushing river and it was nice to have a hot shower for a
change (no showers in Nat. Park campgounds on the BRP).
Newfound Gap. Route 441 crosses the
Smokey Mountains going from
Cherokee, NC, to
Gatlinburg, TN. Newfound Gap is near
the peak at the border between NC and TN.
Clingman’s Dome. A 7-mile spur from
Newfound Gap (see above) leads to
Clingman’s Dome,
the highest point east of the Mississippi at about 6650 ft. It was raining and foggy on the day that I
made the difficult climb. I left
Clingman’s Dome and coasted 21 miles down to Gatlinburg (elevation:
1650
ft). The ride was somewhat
treacherous
in the rain as it has 5-8% grades with numerous switchbacks. At one point the mountain is so steep that
the road curves back under itself to handle the grade, forming the
famous
“loop” in the road.
Mabry Mill (MP 177) is said to be one of the most photographed spots in the nation and you can see why. There is a restaurant here and a great historic area where you can visit the mill and many other historic buildings and displays. This is a great place to stop for breakfast or lunch.