I noticed that the Virginia section was full of huge Rhododendrons. Has anyone ridden it when those were in bloom? I bet that was spectacular to see.

If you want a challenge on the way there, take 250 over the mountains from West Virgina into Virginia. Watch out for the straight up hill, 15 MPH sharp curves.

 

The Rhododendrons are beautiful about the first of June if I remember correctly. I love them.

 

We went from Milwaukee to Blue Ridge after the 110th Anniversary in Sept 2013. We just hammered to Gettysburg and started from there. It is great riding from Gettysburg to Front Royal (the start of the parkway), and if you are that close anyway, Gettysburg is a not miss place. We found the weather to be very nice that time of year.

We did the parkway in 2 days, but I would recommend 3. We missed some stuff because we didn't take the time, but we wanted to be to the Dragon on Friday so as not to ride it on a weekend.

Bill

 

Rode the parkway from Cherokee to Front Royal last year in June headed to Laconia. July and August can get really hot. The higher elevations can be cold. Best time is when the leaves change in the fall.

 

A great place to stop which is about half way down headed south is at Fancy Gap, VA, HWY 52. There is a small motel there named the Mountain Top Inn. Owners are really friendly and it's a stop for a lot of bikers. At night they build a bon fire right in front, might be a guy playing guitar and everybody sits around and drinks beer while telling stories.

Motel is nothing fancy but a great place to spend the night. There isn't much along the Parkway. The owner knows a local bike shop if for any reason needed also. One guy there had picked up a screw in his back tire and the guy came to the motel, then helped him nurse it back to the shop and put a new tire on for him. Diner across the road and convenience store also.

 

IronheadDave,

Would love to know what route you took to Laconia from Front Royal. I come down from that area but use 81 to haul some butt. Sure would like to avoid most or all of that. I have used 209 to cut off some but would love to find a decent non interstate route through PA, north/south that maybe passes near York/Hershey area (or not).

Thanks

Dave

 

Joe,

Wife and I have ridden Skyline/Blueridge in Sept (just after labor day) the past couple years and you get a mixed bag of anything/everything. This past ride we had unbelievable weather (mid Sept) the whole way and even top of Mount Mitchell and Grandfather Mountain had temps in the 50's and sun. The year before, fog every morning and so thick on Skyline that I got vertigo (never had that before) from no visibility once I was 10 miles in (just followed the fresh painted yellow line and GPS at 15 mph until it broke up). Point being, prepare for anything, weatherwise but Sept is a good time to go overall. Note that Maggie Valley has the bike weekend, Thunder in the Smokies, in Sept so consider that for lodging as Maggie is a popular place for folks to stay. I would definitely recommend North to South having done both but others may indicate otherwise. We like staying in Floyd VA at Hotel Floyd, it can be sleepy early in the week and wakes up more as the week goes on but have been surprised to find some happenings even on a Thursday eve. We go to the Mexican place or Dogtown (just ask, it is small enough to find anything here :-) ) For a stay in the mountains and good food/pub/awesome views, Little Switzerland is cool. Maggie has all kinds of decent places to stay (mainly motel). We found (this year anyway) that running all of Skyline from Front Royal and ending around mile 160ish in VA to exit toward Floyd was a good pace to stop. Allows for a few overlooks and light cruising in that area (Skyline is 35 MPH but you can average a bit more, taking your time is good for sightseeing though) so this would be about a 275 mile one day ride. The second part of the parkway (south end) is the sweet stuff so you may want two days to poke around areas like Grandfather or Mount Mitchell and to stop at some overlooks. This is just a bit of what is up there and all the off roads at elevation are a blast in themselves (and some are named now like the Diamondback, the Devils Whip etc) so you can loop all over the place and get a nice ride. Skyline to the end of the Parkway will give you about a 575 mile run with no side stops and it is not speed territory generally. Ditto on the gas, don't wait for the light to come on to get it, plan ahead there. Plenty of friendly folk riding so it is easy to ask but maps are a help as is the old GPS (warning, I have been surprised to find the target gas station closed so areas with a number of gas stations is a better bet, most areas indicated do have multiple choices but not all). We love it down there and you will have a blast.

Dave

 

I was following US 11 from US 31 in Alabama until I got to the Smokies. When I left Front Royal I got back on US 11 again via Strasburg Road from Riverton on up to Scranton. I took US 6 over to the East and followed US 9W North. Detoured out through the Catskills and Adirondacks for three days and back up 9 until I hit 11 again. I took 11 East over to US 2 and rode VT100 from North to South to MA state road 2. I took US 5 back back up into NH and rode the Kangamangus East before going back down to Laconia.

When I left Laconia I headed over to Bar Harbor and followed the East Coast from there down to Florida.

11 runs along 81 mostly but 81 bypasses the ride along the river on US11/15. Harrisburg to Scranton.

US 340/15 is another good option.

 

Dragons Tail

 

Ah, so the short way around :-) That is quite a ride, I have done most of those roads but not 11 in PA or Route 6. Have to take a look. When I come/go I will come down from 9 or via 101 in NH to Route 9 VT to route 22 NY and then to 84 (use 311 or other to cut some of 84 off) I also use 2 in MA (the mohawk trail) from 101/202 in NH to go out to 22 etc.