One of America’s most beautiful highways winds through the backyard of Central Virginia.
The Blue Ridge Parkway, which celebrates its 75th anniversary in September 2010, traverses about 100 miles through Bedford, Amherst, Rockbridge and Nelson counties. In that undulating stretch, the parkway goes from its highest point in Virginia – 3,950 feet at Apple Orchard Mountain in Bedford County — to its lowest point along its entire length, 649 feet at the James River.
Along the way are a multitude of the highway’s signature blue-upon-blue-upon-blue views.
No way around it, the most-visited federal park in the country got that way because it was designed to be seen through the windshield.
But there are many worthwhile detours and outdoor activities off the road. Hiking trips at the Peaks of Otter and Humpback Rocks and small-town gems like Love, Montebello and Buchanan offer an opportunity to get off the parkway for those not content just to watch the roadway unwind through the dashboard.
With fall just ahead, the next several weeks are a great time to explore the Blue Ridge Parkway. We drove its length through Central Virginia, checking out each overlook and many of the nearby attractions.
Click on a point on the map below for a photo and more information. Zoom in on the map to see points that are close together.
Click on a point for a photo and more information. Zoom in on the map to see points that are close together.
Related Story
True blue: A guide to the Blue Ridge Parkway in Central Virginia
Blue Ridge Parkway Panoramas
By Parker Michels-Boyce and Kim Raff / The News & Advance
Right-click the link and save the file to download.
Download: High-resolution Parkway Panorama Photo (22 MB)
Download: High-resolution Parkway Panorama (Ravens Roost) Photo (15 MB)
Parkway Newspaper Graphic
By Jon Ness
Download: Parkway graphic from The News & Advance, Sept. 19, 2010 (22 MB, PDF format)
The above image and PDF files are large and may take a long time to download on slower Internet connections. PDF files require a PDF reader; click here to download Adobe Reader.
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