The Blue Ridge Parkway and National Parks

Building the Parkway through mountainous terrain was a monumental labor. Authorized in the 1930s as a Depression-era public works project, the Parkway was more than a half-century in the making. It was the nation’s first, and ultimately longest, rural parkway, connecting Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. Enduring standards for parkway engineering and design were pioneered here.

The Blue Ridge Parkway weaves its way for almost 2.5 miles through the forest and meadows of Moses H. Cone Memorial Park adjoining the Village of Blowing Rock. Twenty-five miles of carriage and hiking trails meander throughout the 3,517-acre estate circling the 22-acre Bass Lake and the 16-acre Trout Lake. The trails continue ascending two mountains before dropping down to the 20-room, Victorian, neo-Colonial manor house crowning Flat Top Mountain. Inside the Manor House, visitors can enjoy the grand sweep of the staircase and its long, curving banister made from a single piece of cherry wood or browse in the craft shop operated there by the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild. No admission is charged for admission to the home or use of any of the trails.

Continuing south on the Parkway leads to Julian Price Park. The 3900-acre park provides picnic grounds, campgrounds, rest rooms, nature walks, an amphitheater, hiking trails, trout fishing and boat rental.

Hikers, horseback riders, fisherman, cross country skiers, dog walkers, and bird watchers alike consider the Blue Ridge Parkway one of the greatest treasures of our area.