Need info on Blue Ridge Pkwy and Skyline Dr

[PaulD]

I will be driving from OKC to Wash DC later this summer on business and I intend to make it a top down/scenic route as much as possible. I am currently thinking of taking I40 across to Knoxville TN then dropping down to pick up the Blue Ridge Pkwy. Would follow Blue Ridge Pkwy up to I64 and then follow the Skyline Dr up to I66 then I66 into Wash DC.
I have never been on the Blue Ridge Pkwy nor the Skyline Dr so I am looking for any comments or suggestions about both of them. Generally looking to find out following:
- how much traffic am I likely to encounter? They both look very curvy on my maps so I am assuming they will be slow going on 2 lane roads.
- general road condition?
- construction delays?
- This scenic segment is about 610 miles from begining of Blue Ridge thru Skyline Dr up to I66. How many hours should I expect the 610 mile segment to take?

My schedule is not defined yet so I don't know when this may happen. I am waiting on my customer to get his act together. If he messes around much longer, this trip could slide into winter and kill the trip. All I am doing right now is getting my info together to do some initial planning. If this works out, I will announce my schedule and would be happy if anyone wanted to join me for all or part of the drive.

[toysax]

Paul, I haven't been on the entire Parkway since the late 60's when I was 17 but would love to go again. There is a website for the Parkway with current closures as well as lots of other information. When we visit western NC, we usually try to travel a few miles on the it.

Gary

[Sweet T]

I drove from MA to NC two years ago...straight through. On the return trip, I set the GPS for "No Highways"...took me four days to get home, so I can't help you with the time involved, wasn't in a hurry and time didn't matter.

Everything's relative, so compared to MA, I would consider it no traffic at all. I don't think I saw 10 cars the entire length of Skyline Drive. I don't recall any problems with road conditions.

Get gas before entering Skyline Drive. There's a station within a mile of the entrance. There's a rest stop, a place to eat and a gas station station in the middle of the mountain. The food was okay. The gas was expensive and I wouldn't trust it was too fresh.

The drive is full of deer and they aren't afraid of cars. I had a herd in front of me that wouldn't let me pass. I just shut the car off and snapped pictures until they decided to leave.

I didn't plan it, but managed to still be on Skyline Drive at sunset....the views are breathtaking, so if you can arrange it.....

[FUN X 3]

Skyline Drive- Barbara offers sound advice about fuel, you don't want to run empty up there. The speed limit is 30 mph, so it's pretty slow going, but for most of the trip you want to be going slower anyway to take in the views. Top down is spectacular, you see everything in all directions. Allow plenty of time for stopping at the scenic overlooks, they are numerous along the entire route. You can get a map in advance by going on the National Park Service web site. Traffic is light during the week, can be heavy on weekends. Do a search here, the mid-Atlantic group has been on Skyline Drive a few times, there are pictures posted in those threads. Have a great time!

[PaulD]

[QUOTE=FUN X 3;398303]Skyline Drive- ...... The speed limit is 30 mph,....QUOTE]

Wow. That is significantly slower than I would expect. If I need to watch out for deer and other sightseers, I don't have a big problem with that. However, it also tells me that the full drive will take much longer than I was thinking.

[Ediron]

Map quest will give you up todate info and time.If not a member of AAA it might pay to join.Any time I'm taking a long car trip I get a trip ticket from them with the route on about a 3x 8 flip card.Easy to read and has all the delays on them. Sounds like a nice run

[lbyh2os]

If you didn't want to do the whole trip on the parkway, it is beautiful but it will take a long time, you could take the major highways I-81N to 64 E until you get to the Skyline drive and then take that up to 66 and into DC. That would be a nice drive too. Also, you can always go back roads off of I-81, like Rt. 11 through Lexington, VA. This is a good site for information: http://www.tripcart.com/usa-regions/Southern-Appalachian-Mountains,Getting-Around.aspx#Guide||||||Top||||||||

[2Redbirds57/02]

[QUOTE=FUN X 3;398303]Skyline Drive- ...... The speed limit is 30 mph,....QUOTE]

Wow. That is significantly slower than I would expect. If I need to watch out for deer and other sightseers, I don't have a big problem with that. However, it also tells me that the full drive will take much longer than I was thinking.

Paul, we made the trip from end to end one time. I think we spent about 4 days. Weather was bad and we did not stop and site see as much as we would have liked to. Speed limit on the NC side of the Parkway is 45mph. You will have to watch out for deer.