469 Miles of Heaven: Blue Ridge Parkway

A modern highway created to make drivers happy. What a concept.

The Blue Ridge Parkway, which winds peacefully from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina, was designed placing aesthetic values first. It doesn't even have white lines on the sides, so it blends quietly into the landscape and lets you forget you're on a highway at all. It's hard to work up any decent road rage when the speed limit is only 45 mph and every turn in the road brings you to a new postcard-ready scene: Blooming rhododendrons, misty mountaintops, pastoral meadows.

Bicycling is allowed, but the road is designed for motorists, so please take precautions if you're on two wheels. Near Asheville, the Blue Ridge Parkway is reasonably flat but heavily traveled; the further you go away from town, the more strenuous the climb becomes, so it's not really for novice bikers.

The Blue Ridge Parkway route is full of parks, overlooks, visitor centers, hiking trails, picnic areas, and many other ways to satisfy the call of the outdoors. You're encouraged to stop and soak it all in. Hint: no matter what time of year it is, bring a jacket. Because of the higher elevation, the air may be cooler than you think.

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