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This definitive guide for cyclists details all 575 miles of Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway, through North Carolina and Virginia.
List of contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Part 1: An Introduction to Bicycling the Blue Ridge
- The Ultimate Bicycling Road
- Weather in the Blue Ridge Mountains
- Camping versus Lodging
- Gearing Up: Special Equipment and Clothing
Part 2: Point-by-Point Descriptions
- An Explanation of Our Point-by-Point Descriptions
- The Skyline Drive
- Front Royal to Thornton Gap
- Thornton Gap to Swift Run Gap
- Swift Run Gap to Rockfish Gap
- The Blue Ridge Parkway
- Rockfish Gap to James River Visitor Center
- James River Visitor Center to Roanoke Mountain
- Roanoke Mountain to Mabry Mill
- Mabry Mill to Cumberland Knob
- Cumberland Knob to Northwest Trading Post
- Northwest Trading Post to Linville Falls
- Linville Falls to Craggy Gardens
- Craggy Gardens to Mount Pisgah
- Mount Pisgah to Cherokee
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Part 3: Appendices
- Appendix A: Bicycle Shops
- Appendix B: For More Information
- Appendix C: Major Elevation Gains
Index
About the author
Elizabeth Skinner and Charlie Skinner have spent the last two decades bicycling, hiking, and exploring the Piedmont, foothills and mountains of North Carolina. They shared their love of outdoor adventuring with two daughters and continue to pass along their years of experience to grateful readers. They live in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Summary
Tour This Dream Road on Bicycle, Between North Carolina and Virginia.
Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway are arguably the most quintessential scenic roads east of the Mississippi. Bicycling the Blue Ridge is the definitive guide to this ribbon of highway. It’s just what you need to plan the perfect trip, whether you are out for the day, a weekend, or a month. You’ll find detailed, mile-by-mile descriptions that provide information on lodging, restaurants, stores, and bike shops. Professionally designed maps and elevation profiles are also included, so you always know where you are, where you’re going, and what to expect along the way.
The 575-mile strip of continuous road flows between Front Royal, Virginia, and Cherokee, North Carolina. It traverses Shenandoah National Park and connects to Great Smoky Mountains National Park along the eastern rampart of the Appalachian Mountains. In Bicycling the Blue Ridge, authors Elizabeth Skinner and Charlie Skinner cover the entire route. Whether your interest is recreational touring or racing, this is an indispensable tool for bicycling this incredible highway.
