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  Blue Ridge Parkway

 

 

 

 

Blue Ridge Parkway - 75 Years

 

The most popular unit of America’s national park system—the Blue Ridge Parkway—commemorates 75 years in 2010.

 

 
There’s no better—or more accessible—place to celebrate the Parkway’s spectacular scenery, history, and culture than in the Boone NC area.
 
The Parkway was “born” in the NC High Country at Cumberland Knob in 1935 and it was completed here at Grandfather Mountain in 1987.
 
Boone area Parkway landmarks range from Mount Mitchell, highest peak in the East, to dozens of spectacular waterfalls, among them Crabtree Falls, Linville Falls, and the Cascades. 
 
There’s easy Interstate highway access to the 178-mile NC High Country stretch of the Parkway—between I-77 to the north, (where the new Blue Ridge Music Center offers entertainment and cultural insight), and I-40/I-26 on the south near Asheville (where the Parkway’s main visitor center just opened).
 
Just have a weekend? Major highways lead directly to the Boone NC area.
 

Along the way, there’s culture at the Folk Art Center, Parkway Craft Center, Northwest Trading Post, and natural history at the Museum of NC Minerals. Choose from four Parkway campgrounds (including the largest), six picnic areas (and countless tables at overlooks), and a classic National Park Service inn at Bluffs Lodge. 

 

 


View Blue Ridge Parkway - Boone NC Area in a larger map

 

Long or short, a Parkway sojourn is a peak experience, a relaxing, 45-mph route that’s continually at the crest. Dozens of overlooks invite you to pull off for a view. Easy trails entice you back to nature. Explosive spring blooms, cool summer days, and electric autumn color are all Boone area hallmarks of the NC High Country—the central, pivotal point on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

 
  
 
 
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