Blue Ridge Parkway - daily mileage??

[naustin]

Planning my next ride and looking to follow the Mississippi River road from MN to somewhere south of St. Louis and then across TN to Deals Gap - and from there up the full length of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive to Front Royal, VA.  Given the 45mph speed limit on the Parkway,  what is a reasonable daily mileage estimate on the Parkway itself.  I'm thinking 300 max, but not sure if I can get away with moving faster.

[Robert Ford]

I spent two days on it a couple years back which left plenty of time for messing around.

[Cablebandit]

You can cruise at 60mph And nobody will think twice about it. It really depends on how much you want to stop and look at stuff.

[naustin]

That's good to know!

[jeepinbanditrider]

Speed limit is 45 and we saw lots of park rangers on it when we were on it, we litterly rode the whole thing from Cherokee, NC to Northern VA.  If we go back again I'd only want to do the NC side of it, it seemed like as soon as we crossed into VA the road went to crap and it wasn't as exciting.  

[naustin]

   also good to know

[wibornz]

My son and I almost rode the entire BRP in one day.  We acually started at Deals Gap at 0600 hours and made it to Roanoke Va by 7:30 at night.  We stopped off at Grand Father Mountain, also had breakfast and a lunch stop.  If it was not for a detour a monsoon rain at 5:00 pm.  We would have made it to the end.

[ray916mn]

I typically ride the entire length in a day.

To avoid tourist traffic it pays to get an early start. The trade off is there are allot more critters next to the road or in road in the early morning than later in the day in my experience. Being able to do it in a single day depends a bit on the weather, as it can get very very foggy on the Parkway as well as how much stopping and sightseeing you want to do. Also if you get pulled over early on a trip down the BRP it can really screw up your ability to make time. As a limited access road, if they figure out your a speeder and going down the Parkway they do radio ahead....

[Orson]

I rode it back in 1986 so my memory is hazy, but I think I rode it in 2 days plus a bit

[KeithB]

469 miles in one day, at about 50-55 the whole way.  The southern half was good, but I think I'd skip the northern half.  It took about 11 hours.
 






Skyline drive picks up at the northern end where the parkway stops.  Nice, but the speeds are even slower.

[tthompsr]

I did it twice in 09, I didn't really push it and stopped to sightsee here and there, it took 2 days both times.

[The Shepherd]

10 hours top to bottom including gas stops and a very quick lunch. I didn't stop for pictures or lollygagging as I'd ridden it before, that time took 14 hours or so.

[tjhess74]

ditto, did it and half of the skyline all in one day.  some parts were fast, others were slow due to congestion around grand father mountain.

gotta be honest, after about 50 miles, it got kinda boring. it is mostly the same scenery (albeit beautiful) over and over.  nice two lane road, but mostly tall trees on both sides with the occasional breakthrough overlooking a quaint valley.  the overlooks are nice, but they too offer the same garden variety views.

i pushed on just to say i rode the whole thing, but ill never want to do it again.

oh, and watch for deer. seriously.

[garry]

I generally cruise at 55-60 on the BRP and strictly obey the speed limit near tourist attractions (usually signaled by a lower speed limit). I'm afraid to ride any faster than that even the road would more fun at 65-70 (with no traffic). I do stop for photos from the overlooks, so my average speed takes a beating.

The very northern bit isn't bad in VA, then it mellows from north of Roanoke to NC. The NC bit is very nice.

I too find that I only need a couple hours on the BRP to get my fix for the day. I enjoy that fix a lot, but then it's time to explore the awesome roads that cross the BRP.

[Formerly Known as Bigfoot]

You can cruise at 60mph And nobody will think twice about it. It really depends on how much you want to stop and look at stuff.

I believe there have been enough people on here bitching about the tickets they've received on the BRP for speeding that will disagree with this.  

[blueridgerider]

I believe there have been enough people on here bitching about the tickets they've received on the BRP for speeding that will disagree with this.  

I ride it a couple of times a year.  Usually I do the Northern Part and back and the Southern Part and back at least once which equates to riding it twice.  In addition I ride parts constantly through the year.  I have never gotten a ticket - though I am probably jinxing myself - and regularly go about 60+.

McDowell County and further south is the best part.  There are tons of great roads off the Parkway so the Parkway is a great access road to some awesome riding.

[Cablebandit]

I believe there have been enough people on here bitching about the tickets they've received on the BRP for speeding that will disagree with this.  

And I believe I've ridden it several times end to end without seeing a single Ranger to say that I'm, as always, correct.    This year was the first time in four years I saw a Ranger. They tend to stay near the tourist traps as Garry said.

[naustin]

Great comments, everyone. We will be 2-up, loaded down for a 10-day tour, so we won't be bent on making time or strafing corners. I still want to ride the whole parkway, plus skyline drive - just to "tick the box." Probably won't be back in that area again on the bike for a long time.

What about the best places to stay along the parkway?  We won't be camping...

[tjhess74]

there are only two things that are on the brp (iirc, of course).  one is a gift shop/visitors center near the skyline/brp border (i forget if its on the brp or skyline). and then there is some old scenic house/visitors center kinda place above grandfather mountain.  the only reason i know about the latter is because i passed a ranger doing 70.  i pulled over there to patiently wait for him (ive found that to be the best policy, ymmv) but he never showed...

as far as lodging, nothing is on the road, so youll have to wander on the crossroads.  if you get the map/guide at the entrance points it will have ads for all kinds of places.  you can also go to the brp website and they will send you some great brochures which have lots of lodging options listed.

[NoGear]

In September '10 I rode it south to north in two days but we stopped a lot . We also had to stop more often because 1 guy was on a Harley and had to stop every 130 miles for gas ( my FJR goes 190-200).  We didn't see any Park Rangers at all!

This July I rode it North to South in a day (with another FJR Rider) and 3 different times we saw Rangers checking for speeding.

I would agree with an earlier comment. The NC section is the best. Once you hit VA get off and head north in WV to stay on some good roads.